Secret Sky
by Gleek1990
Summary: No one knew why Rachel just picked up and left after Sectionals Junior year. Now she is back with a secret she needs to keep hidden but Santana is determined to find out what it is.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! So this is my first attempt at writing a fic.. and I hope its ok!**

**I owe a huge thanks to Coconutters for convincing me to write in the first place. Without her, I probably wouldn't have even attempted this. I a****lso want to say thanks to my awesome beta Freewaffles! I have definitely been a pain in the ass, but she has been great.**

**Going to be T for now.. may change in later chapters but I'm not sure**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! as upsetting as that is :(**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

Moving back is going to be hard. After being away for nine months I'm not sure if I'm ready to go back to the humiliation of being a Lima loser. If anyone found out about my secret then matters would be even worse. Why did I even decide to come back?

Oh, yeah; I have nowhere else to go.

After packing up everything I had brought with me, which wasn't all that much, as well as Skylar's things, we begin our journey from Pittsburgh to Lima.

Skylar luckily sleeps soundly for most of the trip. I don't know how I would handle this drive if she were crying the whole time; it breaks my heart to listen to her cry and not be able to help. Although I would have preferred flying, bringing a five-month-old on a plane would not have been a good idea.

When we finally cross Lima city lines I begin having mixed feeling. By the time we reach the house I'm still unsure, but some of my uncertainty has subsided.

After everything that went down here before I seriously cannot believe that I am back here again. And yet, here I am.

Unfortunately, my dads were quite thorough in their disownment and packed up my entire room and left everything in boxes in the basement. All that was left was my bed and my dresser, both of which were stripped and bare.

This is going to be so much fun.

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><p>My first week back was hectic, to say the least.<p>

I managed to get Skylar all unpacked and set up in my old bedroom and had unpacked my things in the master bedroom next door to Skylar. I managed to find a babysitter for Sky as well. I did not want to have to bring her to a day care center at this age, but I would have had to if I wasn't able to find someone to watch her. No matter how much I hated the fact, I did still need to go to school after all.

Barbara is a godsend. I had found her name on a nanny site on Tuesday morning and she conveniently had an opening to meet with me later that day. When the older, graying woman showed up I'dfallen in love with her almost immediately. She had years of experience taking care of infants, and Sky seemed to take just as easily to Barbara as Barbara did to Sky. It usually takes a lot for my baby to trust new people; she's used to being with me most of the time. My aunt and uncle in Pittsburgh pretty much left us alone most of the time, not bothering to get to know Skylar, and that was fine with me because. I did not want Sky getting hurt in anyway by them.

The only thing that I regret by making Skylar so dependent on me is that she cries whenever I leave her with someone else. I was pleasantly surprised, after leaving the two for a moment to use the bathroom, to return to Skylar giggling while Barb tickled her feet. Needless to say, Barbara was hired on the spot. She even offered to start immediately so that I could get everything settled before I had to start school the following Monday. After Barb began working for us things went pretty smoothly.

That brings us up to the present. I hopped off the elliptical and showered earlier, and am currently getting dressed before I go to check to see if Sky is up so I can get her ready and start to feed her before Barb gets here. Because I haven't yet developed a set schedule, I decided to get up extra early so that I can get everything done and still be on time for school. I'm probably going to be exhausted later, but it is worth it if I manage to get everything done.

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><p>I look at myself in the mirror while I am waiting for my curling iron to heat up. I am wearing a light blue tank top with a white t-shirt over it with dark blue shorts that have stress holes in them. I really hope I get through the day without being slushied; I really like this outfit and getting food coloring out of it would be hell. Maybe just the fact that I lost the ugly sweaters and skirts will be enough to save me from the torment.<p>

I doubt it.

I never really liked my old outfits anyway, but my dads bought them for me and I just wanted to make them happy. I used to do anything thing to make them happy, I think that's why they took the pregnancy so badly.

I quickly finish up my hair and walk into Sky's room just as she is starting the stir. When she finally opens up those big brown eyes she looks over at me and gives me one of her huge smiles that never fails to put a smile on my face. She raises her little arms for me to pick her up and I oblige instantly, giving her a big kiss on the cheek that elicits a giggle out of the little girl.

"Good morning, baby. Did you sleep well?" I ask her while I lay her down on the changing table. In return I receive a bunch of babbles, which I occasionally respond to just too keep our makeshift conversation going. After I have her in a fresh diaper and a cute pink onesie, I put a bib on her and sit on the couch to start feeding her.

I've started cutting back on breastfeeding her since I am going to be gone more often, but I just can't bring myself to stop all together. The time that I spend breastfeeding her is really special to me; it gives us connection that is inexplicable. So, I made the decision that I am just going to breastfeed her first meal of the day and right before I put her to bed at night. The rest of her meals will be pureed fruits and veggies and cereal, which she really is still not too fond of, and milk that I have already pumped for Barb to feed her throughout the day. I have also been trying to get her to start to drink formula just because it is easier but she seems to detest it. Every time I try to feed it to her she throws a fit.

Just as I am burping Skylar the doorbell rings signaling Barb's arrival. I get off the couch with Sky's head resting on my shoulder as I try to get one more burp out of her and go to let Barb in. As I open the door Sky finally gives me the burp that I was looking for but also managed to spit up on the spit rag on my shoulder, getting a little bit on her onesie as well.

"Well good morning to you too Miss Skylar," Barb jokes as she watches me clean off the baby's face with the rag I just took off of my shoulder. "Rachel, why don't you go finish getting ready for school and I will clean up the Little Princess for you," she offers, and for the first time I look at the clock and realize that I am indeed going to be late if I don't finish getting ready and get out the door soon.

"That sounds like it is probably a good idea," I respond as I run up the stairs towards my room where my backpack is while throwing a 'thank you' back down the stairs towards Barb. Once I finally have all my things ready for my first day at school I run back downstairs and find Barb sitting on the recliner in the living room with Baby Einstein blurring from the television while rocking Skylar back and forth. For the most part Sky is quietly cooing in her arms as her eyelids are starting to droop shut again.

"You really are amazing with her," I comment. "It is actually impressive how quickly you got her to trust you; it is seriously making this transition so much easier on the both of us. I honestly do not know to thank you."

"Rachel, you don't have to do anything to thank me. This is what I am here for," she tells me with a smile. "I am willing to help in whatever way I can."

I smile back at her and lean down to kiss my daughter on the head. Standing, I look at the clock once more and realize I really have to get going.

"Alright, school lets out at 2:30 and I am supposed to have a club meeting after that will be about an hour long. If you need me to come back straight from school just text me and let me know; it shouldn't be a problem," I tell her and she just laughs at me and shakes her head.

"I see no reason why you would have to skip out on your club meeting, but if it makes you feel better I will abide by those terms." She is still laughing at me but I cannot help but be paranoid that once I leave Skylar is going to throw a fit.

"Well, I have to be going" I say reluctantly, realizing now just how hard it is going to be to stay away from my baby for eight hours straight.

Barb must notice my hesitance because she gives me a soft smile. "Everything is going to be fine. You deserve to be a teenager for at least eight hours, so go!" She gives another full laugh and a little shove to get me on my way. I just smile at her again and lean down to Sky for one more kiss.

I was planning on using the drive to school as time to calm myself down, but now that I am in the car and am confident that Skylar is in good hands, I am starting to become nervous about just how my first day back at McKinley is going to go. I am close to a panic attack when I finally pull into a parking spot.

As soon as I am out of the car I can hear the whispers start and I feel like everyone is staring at me. I really just want to get back into my car and run away back to my house where my beautiful baby girl is, but I know that I have to do this. I take a few seconds to collect myself and start to walk towards the double doors that lead the hell that is McKinley High.

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I have been hearing the rumors going around all morning. I don't know if I want to believe them though. I mean, Rachel just got up and left right after Sectionals last year without a word; what are the chances that she would just randomly show back up again? Although I don't know why the idiots at this school would start a rumor about her being back if she wasn't, I still don't want to get my hopes up that she is back if she really is not. I am so deep in thought that I don't even notice Brittany sit down next to me until she lays her head on my shoulder.

"What's up B? I didn't think that we had class together until sixth period today." She looks up at me with a really confused look on her face.

"I thought this was sixth…" She looks around like there was magically going to be something that lets her know exactly what period she is sitting in. "I just figured since I have been moving around so much that it _must_ be sixth period and when I saw you I just followed you in here."

I just look at her for a third because honestly how much moving around could she have been doing this morning so far? "Britt, it's only third period," I tell her and she just looks around again.

"But we don't have third period together S so you must be wrong" She is completely serious right now. How do I even respond to that logic? She seems to be settling into her seat so I guess she is going to sit through my third period class. "Anyway, have you heard that Rachie is back?" she asks excitedly while bouncing up and down in her seat.

"Yeah, I've heard rumors, but do you really think that they are true? I mean, why would she just come back? Obviously she left for a reason, and I doubt that she would just _come back_. Plus, if she was coming back don't you think that she would make a huge to do about it all? This _is_ Rachel Berry we are talking about. She would have thrown a party for herself or something equally lame like that."

Brittany stops her bouncing and is now slumped in her seat pouting. "But wouldn't it be awesome if she really was back? We could totally use her for glee, and even though she talks in words that are way too big I still kinda miss her. And I know you do to, even if you are still in Nar-." As soon as her last sentence starts up and lunge over to cover her mouth since she is talking way too loud and is seriously about to out me to the entire class. I look around and thankfully it doesn't seem like anyone is really paying attention to us.

I never actually told Brittany about my feelings for the diva, but she somehow figured it out. Actually, B told me that I loved Rachel last year and I thought she was crazy. We ended up in my room arguing about how she was wrong and she had no idea what she was talking about. After she left that night (okay, so I kicked her out), I started to think about it more and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I cried myself to sleep that night because I realized that after all the shit I had done to Rachel, she could never possibly love me back. I still have my hand over Britt's mouth when I feel her bottom lip protrude out even more and I know that when I move my hand I am going to see her signature pout. I am proven correct when I move my hand away from her face.

"That was not very nice," she says as her pout gets impossibly bigger.

"I'm sorry, but you have to be careful what you are screaming in the middle of Classrooms, B," I say and then lean closer to her and whisper to her. "And you know why I am not out yet, B; if I were to come out no one in this place would respect me, and I just can't have that." I lean back a little more so I can see her whole face and it seems like she's not even listening to me anymore. She's staring at the door with a huge smile on her face. I follow her line of sight and when my eyes hit the petite brunette that everyone seems to be talking about today my jaw drops.

Not only is Rachel really back but she is wearing normal clothes. Correction: cute clothes. She looks amazing but also seems to be a little run down. She is still just standing in the doorway, just looking around the classroom, and I wonder why she isn't taking a seat. I get my answer when I look around the classroom myself and realize that there are no open seats. Apparently this classroom had just enough seats for everyone in the class and since B technically doesn't belong here, there is a shortage of seats.

"B, you need to go to your own classroom," I tell my best friend which again causes a pout to form on her lips. "I'm sorry, but there aren't enough seats in here for you to stay," I try to reason with her, but it doesn't seem to be working because the pout doesn't move and neither does she. "If you stay then Rachel won't be able to sit and she will have to stand the entire time," I try, and it seems to work because her pout turns into a frown and she nods her head.

"Okay, but only for Rachie," she responds with a sudden smile which I return as she gets up and leaves. I don't really know why or when Brittany became so protective of Rachel, but last year right before Rachel left Britt started to get very defensive whenever someone said something to or about Rachel. She even tried to hang out with Rachel a couple of times but the diva always turned her down. This caused me to have to get involved since no one makes Britt sad and gets away with it. But whenever I went up to Rachel and threatened her if she didn't do whatever B wanted, she would just shrug at me and say sorry then walk away. It was so strange. Then she disappeared.

I guess I got lost in thought again, because the next thing I know I feel someone tapping me on the shoulder. I look up and open my mouth to tell who ever it is to leave me the hell alone when I see that it is Rachel. "I, ah, can I sit here?" she stutters out. At first I just stare at her because I haven't ever seen Rachel like this before. Even before she left she didn't seem scared of me, or anyone for that matter, but right now she seemed like she was terrified. "There- there's no other seats, or I, ah, wouldn't ask," she says after a second. I guess she thinks I am going to say no to her request since I took so long to answer.

"Oh, yeah sure, whatever," I say, trying to seem nonchalant about the whole thing. In reality I am so glad that Brittany came into the wrong class and accidentally saved a seat next to me for Rachel.

Rachel sits down and takes out a notebook and pencil and waits for class to start. She has pretty much kept her head down since she got into class, and it is starting to worry me a bit. She has never been like this. Even if she didn't feel it she always made sure people thought that she was confident and poised, even after a slushy attack. But right now, she is not even looking up from the desk. She hasn't made eye contact with me once. I have to figure out what is going on with her.

"How was your summer? And, you know, the end of your year?" I realize how lame I just sounded, but there is nothing I can do about it; after I realized how I felt about Rachel it became even harder for me to talk to her. When she finally looked up from the desk she was giving me a confused look, frowning, but still did not say anything. "What, do I have something on my face?" I ask trying to make a joke, but instead of laughing her frown just got deeper.

"Why are you talking to me? Usually if you are not spouting out random insults or nasty names you're just ignoring my presence." She asks while keeping eye contact with me. I can tell that she is forcing herself not to look away, but still she's keeping contact.

"Well, a lot can change in a nine months," I say with a small smile that I can't seem to keep off my face, even though I am trying to keep up my badass persona. What threw me off what the small "I'll say" that Rachel mumbled to herself, because it didn't seem like she was talking about me. Her eyes seemed to get distant, like she was somewhere inside her own head where no one could find her.

I was about to ask her what she meant by it but as I started to ask our teacher walked into the classroom to begin class. When I looked back to Rachel she seemed to snap out of the land inside her head and started to write what the teacher was saying in her notebook.

When the bell rang signaling the end of third period I expected Rachel to race out of the room. But instead she was texting someone on her phone and didn't even seem to realize that the class has ended.

"Must be someone important for you to text during class," I say, making another attempt at a joke, hoping that I will be able to get through. It seems like it actually worked this time as she looks up to me and cracks the smallest smile.

"It is" is all I get as she starts to pack up her stuff so to leave for third.

"What class you got next?" I ask so that I don't seem like a creeper as I watch her pack up.

"You don't have to wait for me Santana, I have a free period anyway so I'm in no rush, unlike you who probably has an academic class that you are going to be late for if you keep dawdling," she says as she looks up from the bag she is packing.

"Well, seeing as I have a free also, I don't see that happening," I say with a smile. Now that we are alone in the room I don't have to protect my rep by keeping up appearances. "You want to go get some coffee or lunch or something, I mean, senior lunch is fifth period so we have plenty of time and all..." Man why do I sound like such an _idiot_? I have game! Where is it?

"Actually, since as you said there is plenty of time I think I am just going to run home for break instead, but thanks for the offer Santana," she says as she swings her bag around her shoulder. I can't help the look of dejection that crosses my features before I manage to wipe it off. "You have been the only one who has been nice to me all day," she continues, "which in and of itself is strange." She gives me a strange look like she is trying to figure out where the catch is but then gives me another small smile. "I really appreciate it." She finishes as she starts to walk towards the door of the classroom.

I smile at her again; this actually seems a little bit like progress. But my smile quickly fades when I comprehend the rest of the sentence, the part that wasn't about me. "What do you mean that I am the only one being nice to you? Haven't the others from Glee come up to you and told you how happy they are that your back?" I ask because, really, the entire club should be glad that our star is back.

"Well, technically Brittany gave me a smile and hug when she walked out of our class before but I never really expected anything else from Britt; she's nice to everyone," she says with a smile as she opens up her locker and I lean against the one next to it and proceed to give dirty looks to anyone who even thinks about looking in our direction.

"But, besides that, no, I have definitely not been welcomed back with open arms from the rest of the club. In fact it has been almost the opposite,. Kurt and Mercedes came up the me as soon as they heard that I was back and let me know that just because I am back does not mean that I will be lead again," she says coolly as if it does not upset her, even though I can see in her eyes that it really does. This alone makes my blood start to heat up. The worst part is that I can tell that she's not done.

"Then there was Finn who came up to me between first and second to let me know that he is now happy with Quinn and that my return will not reignite the spark between us, which lead me to believe that Quinn had actually wrote that script for him to say. Nonetheless, he made it clear that he also did not want to sing anymore duets with me," she says as she zips her back and closes her locker.

At his point my blood is boiling. She hasn't even been back for a full day and not only has the school been talking about her the entire time, but the club, the group of people who were supposed to be a family, completely made her feel unwelcome! Without her there would be no Glee club! It would have ended before it even got a chance to begin!

"You know what? Just ignore them," I say, and she looks up at me with even more confusion in her eyes. "They are just jealous of your talent, and well, Quinn's just a bitch." At this, she let out a little giggle and I decided that I will do anything to hear it again.

"Well that may be, but I am still debating whether I really want to rejoin Glee this year" I almost fell over at this confession. She can't just not come back to Glee! "I have more important things to worry about right now and while I would love to be part of that family again and help to bring us to a national win, I really don't want to be anywhere that I am not welcomed," she exclaims and looks down at her feet. "Anyway, it was nice talking to you Santana, but I really must be on my way."

And with that and a little wave of her hand she starts to walk towards the doors that lead to the parking lot.

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><p><strong>So i know that things seem really confusing right now! Slowly but surely things will start to make sense.. If there is anything that you are really confused about let me know and I'll try to clear it up for you!<strong>

**Thanks for reading! please review to let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**OMG thank you all soooo much for your support on this! I really did not expect the reaction that I got. I posted before I went to bed and woke up to 40 email notifications and they just kept coming throughout the day! I really appreciate all the favorites and alerts and especially the reviews! I tried to respond to all of them, if I missed you I am really sorry, I didn't mean to! ****I hope that you all like this chapter as well :)**

**So DJsmith10186 brought up a good question that I want to clear up. The storyline up until Sectionals season 2 is pretty much the same. There will be a few twists that go off of the original storyline but hopefully when those come up it will be obvious as to what is happening. The one big thing that everyone should be aware of is that Quinn never regained her popularity after having Beth. When she fell from grace in season 1 she never got back up. That is the main reason she is back together with Finn, to try and regain popularity. Please keep that in mind.**

**I'm sorry that this took so long guys, I meant for it to be out a couple days following the first chapter, but between my schedule and my beta's, it took a little while longer to get out then it was supposed to. I actually decided to just upload it unbeta'ed so that being said all mistakes are my own and I'm sorry..**

**This chapter is a little longer than the last chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Glee..**

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><p><strong><em><span>Chapter 2 <span>_**

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

I am kind of freaked out about how Santana acted towards me during last period. While she definitely mellowed out before I left last year, she has never been so… kind (is that even the right word for how she acted?) towards me. I am honestly waiting for the other shoe to drop, or you know, the slushy to be thrown. Knowing Santana, it is probably just some huge ruse to get me to trust her so that it's even funnier when she does something to make my life miserable.

Besides that, today has been going pretty well so far, my plan of attack for this year is to keep my head down, my mouth shut and stay to out of every one's way. Hopefully this way my clothes and hair will stay in tact throughout the entire day. It went really well until I walked into English and the only seat open was next to Santana, but thankfully that didn't end badly.

Right now I am just happy that I have time to go home and spend with my girl. This is turning out to be a lot harder than I thought it would. I have been texting Barb nonstop all day to check in. She has been taking my annoyance in stride. For that I am so grateful because I probably seem like a crazy person at this point.

As soon as I walk in the door I hear Skylar cry. Actually crying doesn't seem like the correct term for what Sky is doing at this point; screaming seems more appropriate. I walk into the kitchen were Barb has Sky strapped into her highchair and I immediately know what is going on. Skylar hates that damn chair for some reason. Every time she is put in it, she freaks. It's probably because she knows that the chair means that she is not getting the food that she really wants.

I walk fully into the kitchen and give a warm smile to Barb who doesn't seem to be too fazed by the screaming as she continues to make the baby cereal. As I walk closer to Sky she catches a glimpse of me and her arms shoot up asking me to get her out of her own personal hell and her screams turn into pitiful whimpers. It takes all of my will power to not grab her but I know that she needs to learn to sit in the chair and eat real food. Instead I place a kiss on top of her head and sit in the chair in front of her seat. As soon as she realizes that I am not going to hold her she resumes her screaming.

"I am quite surprised that you are holding strong about the feeding chair," Barb says with a laugh as she finishes up with the cereal. "I definitely expected you to take her out of the chair just so that she would stop crying."

I look up to her with an incredulous look because I am almost positive that that was an insult.

"Not to say that makes you a bad parent, I have just seen a lot of first time moms that will do anything that will make their children stop crying. Even if it is not the best thing for the child developmentally." She amends with a smile.

"Yea, its hard, I want nothing more than to put a smile on that beautiful face, but I know that she has to get used to this. She has to start eating things other than just breast milk. Especially since soon she is going to be teething and I really don't know how I feel about that," I joke.

The graying woman lets out a laugh and shakes her head. "No you certainly don't want to be constantly breastfeeding when she gets to be older and grows a mouthful of teeth. Do you want to feed her or should I?" She asks since I am clearly sitting in the seat she was going to use to feed the little girl. I just smile at Sky and reach for the bowl of gross runny cereal.

"I have been trying for a while now to get her to eat and she always acts like this. Do you think that she's just not ready yet?" I ask.

Honestly every time Skylar acts like this during a feeding, it makes me feel like I am a bad mother. I should be able to get my daughter to eat more than just breast milk right?

"No, I think that she is ready, she shows almost all of the signs of being developmentally ready. I think it's more about the lack of connection that she is getting from you. She is used to being with you all day everyday and whether you know it or not, the breastfeeding is not only special to you but to her also. She is just not sure what is going on and this is her way of letting you know that. You are doing more than wonderfully with her. Especially for doing it on your own." She smiles down at me, and then laughs as I manage to get a huge spoonful of food down Sky are front rather than in her mouth. "Here let me try."

I get up to let her have a try. I stare at her with a god smacked expression on my face as she gets Sky to open her mouth and eat the gooey cereal

"How?" is all I manage to get out as I watch her continue to feed the little girl.

"It's easier when she knows that I have nothing to give her if she doesn't eat this. I think the little princess is too sly for her own good. She knows that you have the goods that she truly wants," she laughs out which causes me to laugh too. I swear that Skylar is giving me a look of pure innocence to refute Barb's claim.

"What are you doing home anyway?" Barb asks as I continue to watch her feed the baby.

"Oh you know, couldn't stay away." I say with a laugh, even though the statement is completely true. "Going back to that place is a bit harder than I thought it was going to be. I wish I could just stay here with her all day." I can't help the fond smile that forms on my lips as I watch my princess eat and watch me at the same time.

"I know it's hard but you have to go to school. You have to do your best for this little girl, and you cant do that without a diploma." She says with a backwards glance to me. "But I know that that school can be hard, I have heard horror stories through the grapevine. Something about slushies and an evil cheerleading coach, I couldn't imagine going to school there." She says with a fake shudder. I can't help but laugh because her description is pretty much spot on.

"What I am having the hardest time understanding is why you are going through this all alone." At this I take a long deep breath and release it slowly, because I really don't like thinking about that part of my life. "Not trying to be nosey or anything, I just can't imagine leaving my kid to fend for themself and their child on their own."

I sigh because I know that she really is just looking out for me. Even though I have only known the woman for a week, I still have this weird feeling that I can trust her and that she wont betray me. "My dads kicked me out when I told them I was pregnant with Skylar. I was about 4 months pregnant at the time and I really had nowhere to go. I watched a girl my age get tormented for getting pregnant so young in Lima. I really didn't want to have to deal with that on top of being homeless, and luckily one of my dads took '_pity_' on me and gave me the number of his sister in Pittsburgh. After I moved a whole bunch of crap went down with my family and my dads said that they were leaving Lima and I was free to live in the house if I wanted to. They also told me that they would fill my bank account with enough money to live comfortably with Skylar for the next few years."

I let out a sigh because that really was only half of the story but I couldn't bring myself to get into the other half right now.

"Well their loss is certainly my gain because I am more than happy to have you and this sweetheart in my life." She says with a smile, which I forcibly return, though it does not reach my eyes.

She must sense my discomfort with the current conversation because she has the good sense to change the subject, "No offence kid but you look exhausted right now, which is convenient since so does the little miss. Why don't you take her and go lay down and snuggle with her, since I know you are both having severe separation anxiety. I will wake you up when you have to leave for school again."

It is actually kind of strange how in sync Barb and I are after only knowing each other for about a week. She is like the mother figure I never had.

"I have to be up in about 45 minutes, you sure you don't mind waking me up, I would set an alarm but I don't want to wake her up in the process." I explain as I lift the little girl from the chair. She instantly nuzzles into my neck, taking comfort in my presence. She then lifts her head and wraps her arms around my neck while looking me in the eyes with a serious expression on her face as if to tell me she didn't appreciate being left. It makes me want to cry and laugh at the same time. Strangest five month old ever.

"It is perfectly fine, go ahead up."

When I got up into my bedroom Skylar still had her arms securely around my neck as if she was afraid I was going to leave her again if she didn't hold on tight. The thought actually made me tear up a little because when she woke up chances are I would be gone again.

I lie down on in the middle of my bed and lay her on top of me where she lays her head on my chest contently. I lay my hands on her back so that she wont fall off while we sleep and quickly let sleep take me after feeling her chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm that lets me know that she fell asleep.

All too soon I felt Barbara lightly shaking me awake, and I wanted nothing more than to just go back to sleep and revel in the comfort that only Sky can bring me. Reluctantly though I open my eyes and smile down at my baby still lying on my chest fast asleep.

"Sorry to have to wake you sweetie, but if you don't go soon your going to be late for your next class."

I know she's right and that there is no reason to fight it so I smoothly sit up while still cradling Skylar to my chest as to not wake her up too. Barb swiftly takes her from my arms and I go into the bathroom to fix myself before heading back to school.

I quickly drive back to school. Unfortunately the minute I step through the double doors again I am met with a purple slushy to the face. I vaguely hear the "Welcome back freak" and the high five which tells me that I was just slushied by none other than Azimio and Karofsky.

The sting on a slushy is worse than I remember it. Although my school in Pittsburgh hadn't been a walk in the park, with being a pregnant Junior and everything, but there was definitely nothing like this. I wanted to cry, something I had never done after the torment that I endured here. At least it wasn't something I let other people see, I usually waited until I was home safe. However there was nothing I could do to stop it as I felt the first tear leave my eyes.

Now more than ever I just wanted to go back home and wrap Skylar up in my arms and take comfort in her warmth.

* * *

><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I saw the entire thing happen. There was nothing I could do though since I was on the other side of the hallway. The question now is whether I want to go help her or go beat up Azimio and Karofsky. My decision was made for me when I see Rachel bow her head and her shoulders start to shake. In the 2 years of high school I have spent with Rachel, through the immeasurable amount of slushies and insults she has had thrown at her, I have never seen her cry.

"I will deal with you two later," I hiss at the two jocks as they pass me. They look at me like I am crazy but I don't care.

Rachel is still just standing in the middle of the doorway covered in colored ice when I get to her. I reach out and put my arm around her to lead her to the closest bathroom, but as soon as I touch her she violently flinches away.

"Don't touch me!" She screams at me. When I meet her eyes the tears are gone and there is a fire in them. "I don't need to add your insults to this now too! I get it ok? You all hate me!" she screams as she looks around the hallway, then she looks straight at me "You hate me, I get it! Just leave me alone!"

I have never seen her like this. I reach for her again and again she recoils. I can see the fire leaving her eyes as quickly as it came.

"Rachel let me bring you to get your slushy kit then to the bathroom to get cleaned up. Don't give them the satisfaction of seeing this." I whisper in her ear and grab for her arm again.

"I don't need your help Santana. I really don't need to deal with whatever scheme you are working on now, on top of cleaning myself off and salvaging my clothes. " She says as she starts walking towards the bathroom.

I stand there shocked for a second before shaking myself out of it and running to catch up with her. "You didn't stop at your locker to get your kit." I tell her.

"I was a little distracted this morning and forgot it ok? Are you happy? To add to the torment of getting slushied I also have to walk around in this outfit stained purple for the next three periods." She says as she pushes into the bathroom.

When we get into the bathroom there are two baby cheerios fixing their makeup in the mirror. When they see Rachel they start snickering. "GET. OUT." I spit at them and they quickly gather their stuff and scurry out of the bathroom.

I grab the chair that is strangely in the corner of every bathroom in McKinley and sit it in front of the sink. I then shoot off a text to Brittany telling her to stop at my locker to grab my slushy kit and bring it to the bathroom.

"Sit down"

"Why are you doing this?" she asks while eyeing the chair with apprehension.

"Because we're team mates." I answer simply, even if it's not really the full reason.

"And If I say that I don't think that we are anymore?"

This threw me off. But we'll have to deal with that later.

"Sit down Rachel. If we don't get that out of your hair soon it will be nearly impossible"

She finally relents and sits down and lets me clean the slushy out of her hair. When I finally have most of it out I decide I should address the glee thing.

"You shouldn't quit glee you know. You used to love it, didn't you say that being apart of something special makes you special?"

"Well for one, as you said earlier, a lot can change in 9 months, and now I have something else that makes me special." She says. As soon as she processes the words, her eyes widen and she looks down like she said something she shouldn't.

"I find it hard to believe that you could have changed enough in 9 months to not like to sing anymore." I decide that I should leave the second part alone since she looks like she decidedly didn't want to talk about it.

"I never said that I didn't like to sing, I said that I didn't want to be in New Directions anymore."

"Just come to rehearsal today, please. You know that you want to. Don't let what the jackasses in the club said to you make you change your mind." I try to convince her.

Just as she is about to open her mouth to answer me, the door whips open and Brittany walks in. "Rachie!" she yells excitedly but then her smile drops when she sees her slushy stained clothes, "What happened?"

"It's no big deal Brittany, nothing that hasn't happened before. But if you would excuse me I better get to class since there is nothing else I can do here." She says looking down at her outfit with a frown.

"Actually I had Britt pick up my slushy kit from my locker for you. I mean the clothes may be a little big but they're better than nothing right?" She looks up at me with a incredulous look on her face.

"Why do you even have a slushy kit with you? Aren't you head cheerio?" She asks while looking down at my uniform.

"Yea but I keep on in my locker just in case. Quinn got slushied when she was head cheerio, and you know how quickly people in this school can change sides." I say with a shrug. The truth is that I have the kit just in case I am somehow outed. "You should go and change, because if we don't hurry, we really are going to be late for class."

She just nods her response and goes into one of the stalls to change. I spin around to look at Britt and offer her a little smile. "Thanks B, why don't you go to class and let Mr. Shue know that I'll get there when I get there".

"Okay." She answers me then faces the stall door "Rachie I'll see you in glee later!" and with that she spins on her heels and flounces out of the bathroom.

When Rachel comes out of the bathroom stall I cant even hold back my laugh at how she looks. My clothes are huge on her. Apparently my pants were too big to even wear because she is still wearing her shorts, which luckily seemed to be mostly saved from the slushy attack.

"Your pants were way too long for me." She says sheepishly. "We really do have to get going. Thanks for the help." She smiles at me "See you in glee".

I smile at her and then comprehend the last part of her statement "So you are going to come?"

"Yea, I mean no one says no to Brittany right? At least that's what you told me last year." She says with a smirk and then follows Brittany's lead and flounces out of the bathroom.

For the second time today, I just standing there dumbfounded and watch Rachel walk away.

* * *

><p>I walk into the choir room for glee and realize that I am the first one to get here. This isn't really all that great for my rep, but whatever I wanted to be here when Rachel comes in. Sue me. I take a seat in the middle row of the risers and examine my nails waiting for others to get here.<p>

The brat pack (aka Kurt and Mercedes) walk in after me and both of them give me a strange look for being there before them to which I return with a glare. They quickly avert their eyes and take a seat on the opposite of the risers. Quickly after they sit the rest of the group starts to filter into the classroom. Brittany quickly claims the chair to my left and Quinn tries to sit in the chair to my right. I quickly put my bag on the chair so that she can't sit there. She gives me a strange look and looks vaguely hurt, before grabbing her idiot boyfriend and sitting on the other side of the room.

I look around to make sure that there are no new faces. Surprise, surprise there's not. I let out a sigh because now that Trouty Mouth transferred and the sumo wrestler decided that she was too cool for glee club, we are down members again. It also looks like Rachel's replacement from last year isn't coming back either. Not really surprising though since I threatened her in order to get her into the club in the first place.

While I am finishing up scanning the entire room I hear the door to the choir room open again and I snap my head around expecting to see Rachel walking in the door. Unfortunately instead I see our curly haired teacher with a huge smile on his face that I am pretty sure he thinks is encouraging and cute; in reality is just creepy and gross. I can't believe that she really didn't show up. I thought after our talk in the bathroom that she would show up for sure.

I guess I am not keeping my disappointment off my face because I feel Brittany pat my knee and rest her head on my shoulder trying to comfort me. I look down at her and smile my thanks as we have a silent conversation between the two of us and she continues to try to give me some form of comfort.

Brittany and I are brought abruptly out of our staring contest by Mercedes yelling "Hell to the no!" I turn my head towards her and send her, her second glare of the day and realize that she is looking towards the door. "You can't be serious right now! You can't just walk back in here and expect for everything to go back to the way things were!" She continues to yell and without even turning my head I know exactly who walked into the classroom, and I am instantly annoyed by her reaction. When I turn around I send Rachel a smile, which is not returned.

"Rachel what are you doing here?" Mr. Shue asks as if the answer is not obvious.

"I was hoping to be able to rejoin New Directions." She says softly as she looks at the ground.

"And how do we know that you aren't just going to up and leave again whenever you feel like it?" Really Mercedes is looking for a beat down today. It's only the first day of school and I already have a renewed dislike for her. Does she not realize the amount of work it took me to get this girl to come here?

"Me leaving last year had nothing to do with you guys. I hated having to leave especially after we had just won Sectionals, but I was given little say in the matter unfortunately." She says as she raises her head to make eye contact with everyone sitting in the risers. When our eyes meet I try sending her another smile, but again it does not get returned. However when she meets Britt's gaze she gives her a small smile. I try to beat down the jealousy rising up in me because of it. I know that it is impossible to be mean to Brittany, but that doesn't help me feel better in this instance.

"Yea well you obviously didn't care too much about us since you left without a word or even a goodbye. Do you know hard it was to find someone to replace you? Did you even think about how you leaving was going to effect us? You probably only left to teach us a lesson about not giving you a solo at Sectionals." Kurt jumps in.

I swear these two are idiots. If it weren't for Brittany's hand on my leg, effectively holding me down, I would be kicking both of their asses right now. It doesn't even make sense, Kurt wasn't even in the club when Rachel left last year, plus they were supposed to have been friends! Kurt didn't come back until after the Warblers and New Directions had both lost at Regionals. The only effect that this had on him is that when he came back last year, our season was over also.

"While I am aware that I left you in a lurch last year, I must reiterate that my leaving had nothing to do with you." She says more sternly this time.

I can tell by her tone that she is getting annoyed, and as strange as it sounds I am actually glad she is getting riled up a bit. At least it proves to me that the old Rachel Berry is still in there somewhere. Even if it's under the tired worn down girl that I have been seeing all day.

"And I understand that this may be a hard concept for you to grasp, but I find I must tell you that my life does not strictly revolve around this glee club. I have other things going on in my life that need to be taken care of. At the time sticking around to help a bunch of people who didn't even see me as a teammate half the time, was not really high up on my list of things to worry about."

My jaw is actually on the ground right now. I cannot believe that she just said that! This far surpasses the old Berry we all knew. She would have never said anything like that before. Usually she would have just ignored all the rude comments that were being thrown at her and moved on. Never actually fight back. I totally think this new development makes her even hotter.

"If we weren't high up on your list before, than what changed now? What's different now that you can grace us with your presence?"

Quinn just had to jump in on this didn't she? Because two people fighting her on this wasn't hard enough.

"As I said before I did not have a choice when I left before. I am back now and thought that it might be nice to rejoin the team, the team that claims to be a family. But I see now that I am not welcomed here, and I am clearly not part of the 'family'. Although that really does not surprise me since none of you ever treated me like 'family'. I'll just go then, good luck at sectionals."

This cannot be happening, I actually managed to talk her into coming here and these idiots are reversing all of my hard work!

"You morons really think that we can do this without her? We lost Regionals last year because we didn't have her with us. We took third again! _THIRD!_ We would have taken first if we had her with us. Every one of you had better get your heads out of your asses and look at the big picture. We. Need. Rachel." I am fuming right now. I can't even see straight right now, I'm so mad.

"You all treat her like complete shit and expect her to give up everything to accommodate you? Are you kidding me? Maybe she has the right idea, this shit isn't worth it." And with that I got up to execute a perfect storm out, quickly followed by Brittany.

Rachel is looking at me like I am crazy, but I could see the pride buried deep behind the confusion. As I pass her I grab her hand and drag her along with me.

* * *

><p><strong>So you guys got a very broad partial overview of what happened between Rachel and her dads. I know you all probably want more than that, and you will get it, but not quite yet :P<strong>

**I am working on a future chapter and trying to decide who will be the next person (after Santana) who will come to Rachel's aid after realizing the error in their ways lol.. What do you guys thing: Mike, Tina, or Artie? Let me know! **

**Please Review! They seriously make my day!**


	3. Chapter 3

**OMG thank you all for the support! In one day you guys managed to review more than you did in the entire week following the first chapter! That means so much to me, you have no idea! Seriously thanks for all of the reviews, alerts, and favorites.. you guys are awesome!**

**I decided to update this today for a few reasons: 1) because of all of the support.. 2) to apologize for the long wait last time (hopefully from now on updates will be coming out every other day or so) and 3) to celebrate the return of Glee tonight!**

**I hope you all like this! It ended up WAY! longer than the others.. I was going to end it sooner but I needed the chapter to end where it did so I had to keep going. Im sorry if you prefer shorter chapters.. after this the length should shorten again.. **

**This is unbeta'ed so all mistakes are my own.. I went through it twice looking for mistakes but I guarantee I missed some, I have never really been able to revise my own stuff... but either way, I apologize for the mistakes and hope it doesn't take away from the story too much**

**Disclaimer: Glee is not mine :( Sky however is!**

* * *

><p><strong><em><span>Chapter 3<span>_**

* * *

><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

I pull straight into the garage when I get home from school at the end of the day. I proceed to drag myself through the garage door, down the hallway that leads to the living room and flop down on the couch. The little nap I had earlier was not enough. Getting up extra early, cautiously walking around school all day avoiding slushies, getting slushied, and then the monstrosity that was glee, all took its toll on me. Now I am just beyond exhausted. I lie there for a second and close my eyes.

I still can't believe what happened in glee. The reaction I got from everyone wasn't really all that unexpected but Santana's reaction blew me away. I cannot believe that she quit glee like that.

Without the people who were originally missing from glee this year plus Santana, Brittany, and me, New Directions is going to have one hell of a time trying to get enough members this year. But that is not something I have to worry about, not anymore.

I think the most surprising part was after Santana pulling me out of the choir room, giving me a sad smile and pulling me into a hug while whispering in my ear not to worry about it and they are not worth it. With that she linked pinkies with Brittany and they left.

I have been sitting here for about 5 minutes thinking glee and Santana when I realize that the house is quite. Like completely quite. Where are Skylar and Barb!

My stomach drops as I leap off the couch and quickly run around the house looking for my daughter. How is she not here?

I am in full on panic mode when Barbara unlocks the door and pulls the stroller in behind her. Inside the stroller lays a sleeping Skylar.

"Where have you been?" I yell as soon as I see her.

"She was getting restless so I decided to bring her to the park for a little bit." I can tell that she is trying to calm me down but I didn't know where they were. Plus Skylar has never been out of the house without me before.

"I was going to leave a note but I figured that we would be back before you got home. You told me that you'd be back at around 3:30. I didn't mean to make you worry."

I feel bad about yelling at her now. I know that she was only doing her job and I totally over reacted but I couldn't really help it. That's my baby, it's my job to overreact over her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak out. I just don't like not knowing where she is at all times. I'm used to having her rarely leaving my sight." I explain as I bend down and unbuckle her from her stroller and cradle her in my arms.

The simple act of having her close to me immediately calms me down fully, and I place a soft kiss on her forehead before heading upstairs to put her into her crib.

When I walk back downstairs I see that Barbara is packing her stuff up to leave.

"I really am sorry about yelling at you. I am still getting used to all of this." I sigh because sometimes it feels like I am never going to get the hang of being a mom.

"It will get better. You only just got here and she is still really young. Just give it some time." She says and places her hand on my shoulder as she walks pass me and out the door.

As soon as she pulls away from the house, I decide to try and relax on the couch again while Skylar is still napping. Pretty much immediately after laying on the couch and closing my eyes, a loud rumbling growl breaks the silence of the room. I recognize it instantly as my stomach, and realize that I slept through lunch; no wonder I'm so hungry. I decide to just have something small for now since it's still early and I don't want to fill myself too much and not be able to eat dinner later. After searching through the cabinets I find a box of cookies and my stomach growls again as if to say that it approves.

Just as I am about to bring my first cookie to my mouth I hear a cry come from upstairs. I quickly drop my cookie and go upstairs to grab Sky to bring her down to sit with me.

When I open up her door she turns her head to look at me with big teary eyes and light pink, wet cheeks and lifts her arms towards me. She continues to cry to show her displeasure until I pick her up. As soon as she is securely in my arms she lays her head on my shoulder and grasps my shirt. Her tears almost immediately dry up.

I can tell by the small differences in her behavior that she is having just as much trouble with our separation as I am. I hate that she is stressed because of all this. I wish that there was a way for me to be with her all the time, but I know realistically there is no way. I also realize that it is normal for parents to be away from their children when they are this age. But it is easier said than done when it's your own child.

I place a kiss into her curly light brown hair, and can't help but smile at the smell of her baby wash. "How was your day princess? Did you have a good time with Miss Barb?" I ask her as I check to see if she needs to be changed.

When I realize that she is dry I bring her downstairs with me and sit down in front of my forgotten cookies. As I am popping the first cookie in my mouth, Skylar leans away from me to watch my action curiously. Her eyes train on my mouth as I chew and every so often they quickly rise to look me in the eye and then back down to my mouth.

I cannot help but laugh at her inquisitiveness. I pick up another cookie and this time her eyes follow my hand as it brings the snack up to my mouth. When I am about to put the third cookie in my mouth, Skylar opens her mouth effectively asking for a piece of my cookie.

"Baby you can't have any of this." I laugh as she opens her mouth wider. "Are you hungry?" I ask as I pick her up to sit her in her highchair.

The movement forces her to close her mouth and watch my movements closely. The second she realizes she is going into the dreaded chair she starts to cry. It starts out as a low cry just to warn me what is to come if I continue my action. When I actually get her into the chair and strapped in safely, she starts to bawl.

"I know you don't want to be in there, but you have to eat real food baby." I try to reason with her, but she is having none of it. If possible her wales only get louder. It is times like this when I curse my wide vocal range, because it is clear she got her pipes from me.

"Sky you have to stop." I plead. "You took the food so nicely from Barb earlier, why do you have to make it so difficult for me?" I ask, as I get more and more flustered.

I quickly make my way over to the cabinet that holds all of her baby food and pick out a package of mushed sweet peas. I grab a baby spoon on my way back to the table and sit while opening up package of food.

I use her crying to my advantage and rub the spoon with peas in between her slightly open gums so that she can taste the food. My hopes that this would calm her down were quickly dashed.

"Come on princess, just eat for mommy. If you eat this I'll breastfeed you right after." I try to reason with her, knowing that most 5 month olds don't listen to reason. "Come on baby, please."

I can feel the tears start to sting my eyes but I can't stop them. I feel like such a failure every time I can't get her to eat. My tears seem to calm hers though because her screams die down into softer cries as she watches me.

I know that most people would say that a baby at her age don't feel empathy, in fact most, if not all, doctors would say so, but I swear me and Skylar have a strange connection that defying what everyone says. She can tell when I am upset and she tries to make me happy again.

I pick the spoon up again and bring it to her mouth and luckily this time she takes the helping with little reluctance.

"Thank you," I say with a sigh as I put the spoon in the food again. She responds with a smile and some coos.

When I finish feeding her and finish up a few more cookies, I take her out of her highchair and move into the living room so we can have what I have dubbed 'Mommy-Skylar Play Time'. I lie her down on her stomach and she pushes herself up and smiles at me and lets out a high pitched squeal when I move my hands as if I am going to start tickling her. When she rolls herself onto her back I tickle her sides and she lets out a loud giggle and tries to wiggle away from me.

After about an hour of us playing I pick her up and cradle her to me while I put Baby Einstein on the television for us to watch. I then flop down onto the couch and lean back so that I can sit her on my lap and have her reclined back enough so she can see the TV comfortably. As we sit there watching, I feel like the crazy color movements on the show are hypnotizing me. It really isn't helping me stay awake at all.

I am brought out of my hypnosis when Skylar starts to whine in my arms. I look over to the clock and realize that she is probably tired and wants her nightly milk before she goes down. I have never been happier that she is ready to go to sleep as I am right now. I make quick work of changing her diaper and putting her in PJs before I go into my room and sit against the headboard and feed her. She falls asleep about halfway through, which doesn't really surprise me since ate not too long ago. It was more about the routine and her being close to me as she falls asleep than her actually being hungry.

I quickly fix my bra and shirt and carefully walk her into the nursery and place her in the crib. Before putting the bar back up I lean down and place a kiss to both of her cheeks and her forehead "Goodnight Princess." I whisper before standing back upright and rising the bar to her crib.

I then quickly go about an abridged version of my nightly routine and not so gracefully fall into bed. I just lay on top of my yellow comforter for a few seconds enjoying the feeling of the bed below me before moving maneuvering around enough to pull back the comforter and snuggling into the sheets properly. I am out in what feels like a nanosecond. Today had been such a long day. I just keep thinking and hoping that tomorrow can only get easier.

* * *

><p>On Tuesday Azimio and Karofsky came up to me looking worse for the wear and murmured apologies to me. I couldn't even respond to them because I was so shocked, both by the fact that they looked horrible and the fact that they were actually apologizing.<p>

After that, the rest of the week went by pretty easily. By Monday I had gotten a pretty good morning routine down which helps the days go more smoothly.

However, as soon as I wake up the following Tuesday, I can feel that something is off. I can't explain it; I just have a strange feeling that something big is going to happen today. I try to shrug it off and just go about my newly formed morning ritual before going into get Skylar.

My feeling about the day is proven correct almost immediately. Before I even get out of the shower I hear Skylar let out a cry. I quickly finish up with my shower and throw on a robe as I make my way out of my ensuite and into Sky's room. When I first walk into the room I can tell that something isn't right. Not only is Skylar's entire face bright red from crying, but from the doorway I can tell that her brown hair is saturated with sweat.

"Shhhh baby girl its ok. Mommy's here." I try to sooth her as I make my way more fully into her room and over to her crib. "What's wrong, huh princess?"

When I bend down to pick her up I expect her to stop crying like usual, but instead she just cries even louder. I try to calm her down by placing a kiss her forehead as I start to bounce her up and down lightly. When I feel how hot her tender skin is against my lips, I start to panic. She feels really warm. I continue to try and rock her in my arms as I head towards the bathroom that has the baby thermometer in it.

When the temperature comes back as 100.1, I really start to freak out. How did she get sick over night? Was it because she has been out of the house more? Should I take her to the hospital? What do I do?

I quickly whip out my laptop and scan the internet to find out how to handle a high temperature in an infant. One website says that it's possible to lower a temperature with a lukewarm bath, so I quickly take the website's advice and run a bath.

I lay Skylar in her baby tub after the water fills up enough. The water seems to calm her down a little because her cries turn to small whimpers and her eyes start to dry. Once I see that she is calming down I allow myself to relax a little as well. I let out a sigh of relief as I slump against the bathtub.

When I hear the doorbell ring, I recognize just how long I have been sitting in the bathroom with the sick child. I realize that it is most likely Barbara at the door and that she can and will let herself in with the key I gave her if no one answers the door for her.

Sure enough a minute later I hear her yelling up the stairs asking if I am here. I yell down telling her where we are then try and figure out what my next move should be. I really don't like the idea of going to school when my daughter is sick but I also don't want to miss out on lessons and get behind.

"What's going on?" Barb asks from behind me bringing me out of my thought process.

"She woke up with a temperature and I read online that this was a way to lower it." I explain to her while running my hand through Skylar's hair.

"How high was the temperature?"

"A little over 100 degrees." I answer while looking up towards her.

"That's not too bad, its probably just from teething. She is around the right age, she is probably just cutting a tooth." She says as she puts a comforting hand on my back "You go hurry up and get ready for school and I will get some baby Tylenol in her system."

She must see the trepidation in my eyes because she sends me a soft smile while lifting me off the ground and giving me a soft shove out the door of the bathroom so she can get to the baby.

I take her hint and return her smile before I rush around the house to finish getting ready. Unfortunately because my shower was cut short and I never got a chance to do my hair, it is now all over the place. I definitely do not have time to straighten or curl it so my only option is to throw it up in a messy ponytail, put a headband in to control the flyways, and be done with it. I let out a little huff because I am going to look crazy today, but I really have no other choice.

After throwing my hair up, I quickly pulling a Hollister t-shirt over my head and put on a pair of Bermuda shorts to match. Before heading out I check my hair to make sure the shirt didn't mess it up too much and then run downstairs to check on Sky before running out the door.

Because I am later for school that usual, I end up having to park incredibly far away from the building. I basically have to sprint to get to homeroom on time. When I sit down in my homeroom I am out of breath and just lay my head in the crook my arm that is resting on the desk. I don't even bother to raise my head when I hear the teacher call my name for role; I just raise my unoccupied arm to let her know that I am here.

"Geez Berry never thought I'd see the day when you are late for something." I hear Santana let out a small chuckle to further make fun of my plight. I know by now that there is no malice behind her words, she is honestly just joking around with me.

I turn my head to face her not even bothering to pick it off my arm, "Well good morning to you too Santana," I say with a small laugh. "Since when are you in my homeroom?" I ask with furrowed brows when I realize that she doesn't belong in here.

"Head Cheerio can get away with a lot at this school, apparently switching homerooms is just one of them." She looks so blasé about the whole thing, and I think I finally grasp just how much power the Cheerios hold. All I can think to respond with is a slight shake of my head and a small smile.

"But really though, why are you late? You're usually here disgustingly early," she questions with an curious look on her face.

"I'm never here that early anymore, but today I am undoubtedly later than usual."

I know that I didn't technically answer the question but I don't know what else to say. I am obviously not going to tell her that I was late because my daughter, whom no one knows about, woke up this morning with a fever and I, being the first time parent that I am, freaked out unnecessarily and made myself late. I have a feeling that that would create even more questions.

"That doesn't really answer the question of why you are late though, now does it?" She says with her patented smirk and a raise of an eyebrow. It's clear that she knows what I am trying to do and isn't going to let me get away with it.

I am unbelievably happy when the bell rings signaling the end of homeroom. At least I was able to get out of answering her questions for now, and hopefully she will forget about them later.

I am so busy letting the relief wash over me that I didn't realize that we both got up and started towards the door. I definitely did not realize that Santana was currently flush against my back until I felt her breath on my ear. An action that sent an uncontainable shudder down my spine, caused my stomach to flip and created goose bumps to form on the back of my neck and down my arms all at once.

"I know your hiding something Berry, and I wont stop until I know what it is," she whispered into my ear. With that she pulls away from me. With a huge smile and a wave, she turns and starts to walk away. I swear before she turns fully away I see her smile turn into a smirk.

I guess I didn't get out of that so easily after all.

* * *

><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

After homeroom I am feeling better about my chances with Rachel, if the chill that went through her when I got close to her is any indication.

She also doesn't seem like she is being forced to talk to me anymore. It took two weeks but it seems like she is actually comfortable around me. Up until Friday last week, every time I walked up to her to talk she would jump a little and clamp her eyes shut as if waiting for a slushy to hit her face. Now she is joking around with me.

Although she still hasn't confided in me what is going on with her. I guess it makes sense since I spent years torturing her. Why would she trust me after only two weeks of a civil friendship?

But how do I get through to her? It really is easier said than done after everything that I have put her through.

What also sucks is that because we quit glee I see her even less than I normally would. Which is why I switched myself to her homeroom. Though it may seem creepy, I need more time to talk to her if I am ever going to stand a chance to even be her friend let alone anything more.

When I sit down in my Physics class I am still trying to figure out a plan of attack, but I am brought out of my scheming when I hear meddle legs of the chair next to me scraping against the floor. I am really confused when I see that it is Puck sitting next to me, because there is no way that he is in my AP Physics class.

"What do you want Puckerman?" I ask with an air of indifference, which is totally fake since I am really curious why he's here.

"What are you up to with Rachel?"

His tone is so severe that it leaves no question of whether he wants a straight answer or not. I can tell straight away that he is irritated with me. Which only stands to makes me irritated at him.

"What are you talking about?" I spit out while leaning in closer to him.

"Don't play dumb Satan, it doesn't look good on you. I know your up to something, I want to know what it is and I want you to stop. Rachel has had enough shitty stuff happen to her she doesn't need whatever your planning added to it."

Does he know what is going on with her? Because that comment sounded like he may. Puck would definitely be easier to get something out of than Rachel, but is it wrong of me to get the information through him rather than Rachel? Shouldn't I just wait until I get Rachel to open up to me? But what if she never does?

Maybe she just doesn't want to say what is wrong with her but she wants people to be there to help. Maybe she would be happy that I asked Puck. Probably not. She probably would feel betrayed by both Puck and me if he told me. What makes Puck so special that she told him? What -

"Hello? Are you going to answer my question?" He asks as he waves a hand in front of my face.

"What?"

"I asked what the hell your plan is with Rachel!"

I can tell that he is getting really angry now. Since when is he so protective of her?

"I am not planning anything and anyway why would you care? You didn't even stand up for her when the club was attacking her! If you're so worried about her where were you then?"

He looked down ashamed. "I wasn't even there San. I was talking to Coach Beiste about making me captain this year since Hudson is an idiot. When I got there the place was filled with tension but no one would tell me what was going on. All I was told was that you and Brittany quit. They kept everything about Rachel quite. I only found the whole story on Friday because I over heard Kurt and Mercedes gossiping about it. Now I am going to ask you again. What. Is. Your. Plan. With. Rachel?"

"I already told you, I have no plan!"

"Fine you don't have to tell me what you're up to, just please stop San. She doesn't need it or deserve it."

"Puck, I swear I am not planning anything. I honestly am just trying to be friends with her." I say as earnestly as possible. I may not like it but it really seems like Puck is really trying to help Rachel, and it will be way harder for me to get close to her if Puck is getting in my way all the time. "I can tell that something is wrong and I want to help her with whatever it is."

He looks at me skeptically for a few seconds and I can see the fight and suspicion leaving his eyes, though the weariness isn't going anywhere.

"If I find out that you did something to her I swear I will slushy you 3 times a day for the rest of the year, Cheerios uniform be damned."

"I accept those terms." I say with a smile.

Although Puck's and my actual relationship was complete shit, we still remained pretty good friends. It is a pretty decent friendship actually and without it we probably both would have been is much more trouble than we have been in. We anchor each other and he'll call me out on my shit just as I would for him. When one of us doesn't listen to the other, we always have someone there to bail us out of whatever situation we got ourselves into.

I can tell though that this isn't one of those situations. If I don't head his warning this time, he wont be the one bailing me out, he'll be the one bringing the consequences.

"What do you know about what's going on with her?" Pops out of my mouth even though I really wasn't planning on asking. I really do want Rachel to tell me on her own, but I need to know what I am dealing with.

"What are you talking about?"

"You said she has gone through enough. What has she gone through? I want to help her Puck but I can't do that without information, and she doesn't trust me enough to tell me."

"No shit Santana, of course she doesn't trust you. You have been at the head of what she has gone through since I can remember. You can't been that thick. She has been tortured since she got here. She left for a year and came back and is still being tortured. Don't you think that's enough?"

"I am not saying that that's not enough but it sounded like you were talking about something else. Something bigger."

"I wasn't. I was talking about this hellhole and how people treat her here. Is there something else going on?"

Well that wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to be getting information out of him, not alerting him to another problem.

"No I don't think so. I just wasn't sure if that was what you were saying." Maybe if I talk him in circles he'll get confused and leave.

"That's not what it sounded like Santana." He says with a hard look.

"Okay class lets get started. Today were going to start going over – Mr. Puckerman, I am pretty sure that this is not where you belong." At this moment I love Ms. Glass more than anything. "Please leave Mr. Puckerman." She adds when Puck doesn't move.

When he finally leaves I can't help but let out a sigh of relief. Although I really don't think I nipped that in the butt as neatly as I should have. I just hope that when Puck goes to question Rachel about what's going on he doesn't push her too much and undo the work that I have been doing.

The rest of the day goes by pretty effortlessly. When I saw Rachel again in third period she seems less flustered and more settled. I decided to leave her alone about her secret during the period and just talk to her about random crap in hopes that she will trust me a little more. It seemed to work too, because we spent most of the period joking around with each other. She didn't even seem to care too much about not taking notes. Although really we were learning about the exact same thing we learned about yesterday, so there was no reason to take notes both times. That's a McKinley education for you.

When that class ended I asked her if she wanted to go grab something to eat during free and lunch, like I have been doing every day for the past two weeks, and as per usual she declined saying that she was going home to get some stuff done. I was going to ask if we could just hang out at her house than but decided against it because I don't want to seem like I am trying too hard. Which, in reality, I probably am.

By the end of the day, I still haven't come up with any plan. I cannot figure out any faster ways of earning the future Broadway scarlet's trust. I already stopped the slushies on her and talk to her whenever possible.

I guess I am just going to have to wait until she comes around in her own time, which is kind of depressing because there is a chance she will never come around in her own time. I feel like the harder I try the more she pushes me away. Sure I can get her to joke with me when we are forced to be around each other but I haven't been able to get her to hang out with me willingly.

In one school day I managed to go from glass half full to glass half empty. When we were leaving homeroom I really felt like I had a chance, but now I just feel like I am holding onto the Titanic, no matter how hard I hold on to the railing, the ship is still going to go under.

While walking towards my locker, I see the diva and Puck talking in front of her locker. I can already tell that she is getting upset. From down the hallway I can tell that she is becoming exasperated and he is not letting up. I decide to save her from the idiot before he does something stupid.

"Noah, you don't understand! Just please leave it alone!" I hear her whisper yells at him as I get closer.

"Rach-" He doesn't even get to finish that sentence before I push him away form her.

"Puck she obviously doesn't want to talk to you. Walk away." I hiss at him.

When it looks like he is about to say something else I just push him towards the other end of the hallway again. Luckily he takes the hint this time and with one last look at Rachel and then a glance towards me he walks towards the football locker room.

"Hey, you okay?" I ask as I turn back towards her.

"Did you tell Noah that something is going on with me?" She is seething right now. Stupid Puck!

"What? No. He came up to me and told me that if I was planning on hurting you that he would slushy me and that you had gone through enough. I just told him I wasn't planning anything except to try and help you. I don't know why he took it that way!" I know that I am leaving out some parts of me and Puck's conversation, but that seemed like the safest bet at the moment.

"_Really?_ Because that is not what he told me! He told me that he said that I had gone through enough at school and you made it seem like there was more to it." I really am going to kill Puckerman now. "Santana I don't know what the hell you are getting out of all this, but just stay out of it. You have no idea what is going on with me, so please don't act like you do. Just leave me alone!" She says as she roughly grabs stuff out of her locker, slams it shut, and then storms off and out of the building. The force that she used to slam the locker caused the locker to ricochet off the lock and spring back open.

As I watch her storm away, I just lean my back against the row of lockers and slide down to the floor cradling my head in my hands. I can't believe that just happened. Everything I have been working at for the last two weeks just got washed down the goddamn drain, all because Puck is a fucking moron. I don't even know where to go from here. If I had even a little bit of a chance before, I have absolutely none now.

After sitting on the floor for a full minute wallowing in my self-pity, I stand up and move to close her locker. As I am about to shut it I see the bedazzled monstrosity that she calls a cellphone sitting on the bottom of the locker. In her anger she must have forgot to grab it. I know for a fact that she is long gone by now.

I would be lost if I didn't have my cellphone for an entire night. I decide to bring the phone over to her house after practice.

* * *

><p>Cheerios practice went pretty successfully. All of those idiots respect me so they listen to everything I say. Well maybe respect isn't the best word, lets go with fear. Either way they do as they are told which makes me look good with coach. That is all that really matters.<p>

When I was first made Head Cheerio I was afraid that Coach would never treat me the way that she treated Q, after all Quinn was her protégé. When Quinn got pregnant though Coach never looked at her the same way and actually took me under her wing instead. As long as I keep the team under control, I get away with whatever I want. It's a pretty nice arrangement.

After practice is over I jump in the shower quickly, so that I don't smell when I go over Rachel's house, and then run out to my car and speed over to her house.

When I pull up to her house I see Rachel's car in the driveway along with another car, which I assume belongs to one of her fathers. I am kind of nervous about meeting her fathers, I mean it's not really a secret that I never treated her well. But if I am ever going to be close to Rachel, even if it is just as friends, I am going to have to bite the bullet and meet the parents.

I slowly make my way up to the house and work up the courage to ring the doorbell. When I finally push the bell, and the door opens, I am really confused by woman who is standing on the other side.

I am almost positive I'm giving her a weird look, but honestly who is this woman? I definitely have the right house because it said 'Berry' on the side of the mailbox.

"Can I help you, young lady?" The woman finally says after it is obvious that I am not going to say anything. I realize how rude it is of me to ring the doorbell then just stare at the person who answers it but I am honestly so confused right now.

"Um. Ah. Yea-" I shake my head to clear my brain because really this is not helping me to make a good first impression on whoever this is. "I'm sorry, yes, is Rachel home?" I finally ask once the fog of confusion clears a bit.

"Yes, she's here. Did she know to expect you? She didn't say that she was having company." She says as she looks behind her into the house. She is acting really strange, like she doesn't know whether she should have answered the door.

Honestly, _who_ is this woman?

"No, she didn't know I was coming, but she forgot her phone at school and I wanted to bring it over for her. I obviously couldn't call her to let her know that I was coming since again, I have her phone." I say as I hold up her phone for emphasis.

"I will bring it in for her, thanks for bringing it over." She says as she goes to reach for the phone.

I just hold it rather away from her, because there is no way I am letting her take this without me at least seeing to Rachel. Plus this woman is acting super shady right now.

"Actually, I would prefer to bring it to her myself. Could I come in?" I ask looking past the woman and into the house, which I had never seen before. It looks somewhat empty actually. From what I can see, the dark brown walls of what I assume to be a hallway seem bare of any picture.

"Rachel is busy right now. Plus I don't think that she would appreciate your company right now anyway."

Ok well that was rude.

"I'm sorry, but who are you? I thought Rachel had two fathers?" I ask because I really need to know who this is right now. If she is not related to Rachel, than I no longer have to be nice to her.

"I am Rachel's.. aunt." Well damn, guess me being rude back is out of the question.

Just as I am about to respond I hear a cry ring out through the house. Upon hearing it Rachel's aunt's eyes bug out and she seems to get even antsier. She can't seem to keep still anymore, she just keeps shifting from one let to another.

"Ok well either you can give me the phone to give to Rachel, or you can give it to her tomorrow in school, but I really have to be going as do you."

Wow this woman really has no qualms with being incredibly rude.

"Who is the baby?" I am not letting her get rid of me that easily.

"My daughter" she answers quickly.

That would make sense if the woman standing in front of me didn't seem like she was in her late 50s and the baby didn't sound so young.

I shoot her a disbelieving look and decide that I am through being nice. It is obviously not getting me anywhere. When the woman looks back towards the house again I use the distraction to push past her and into the house.

"Young lady!" She yells at me as Rachel starts down the stairs holding a baby in her arms. She is so distracted by the infant that she doesn't even seem to notice me.

"Come on Princess, please stop crying. Mommy's here. I am trying, but I don't know what you want. I know you don't feel good, but I don't know how to make you feel better!" She seems flustered and still doesn't seem to notice that I am here.

She looks so comfortable with the baby though, I wonder – WAIT! _MOMMY?_

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Please review, they make my day!<strong>_  
><em>


	4. Chapter 4

**I realize that I said that this would be updated every other day yesterday, but I got called a tease by RUMad because I technically have already written up to chapter 7. To prove to her that I am not a tease, I am updating today. **

**Thank you all for the support! It is amazing, and I love you all for it. I am glad that everyone seems to be enjoying the story so far :) I really appreciate every review, alert, and favorite I have received!**

**I want to say a huge thanks to my new beta GE309.. She is awesome! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing :(**

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 4<em>**

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

When I came home for lunch this afternoon Skylar had been sleeping and had slept throughout the entire time that I was home. This isn't normal but I figured that she was just trying to sleep off the pain. But when I came home from school at the end of the day and she was sleeping again, I started to get worried.

Barb said that she had woken up in between, but I still don't like it. She usually doesn't sleep this much. Plus Barb said that she wasn't eating as much as normal today. Needless to say, I am stressed.

I am starting to feel like this isn't just a simple case of teething. I know that babies get sick, but this is the first time that Sky has been ill and it is a whole different story when it is your kid whose sick rather than someone else's. So when she woke up screaming from her nap, I took her temperature again.

101.4. Its getting worse, and I just went from stressed to panicked. I am trying to calm her down but she seems to want none of it. She just continues crying and it breaks my heart because I don't know what to do. Hopefully Barb will know what to do, and if not than I am bringing her to the ER. Call me overdramatic, what else is new, but I would rather be safe than sorry. Plus my dads pay the medical bills, so what's the harm?

"Come on baby, please stop crying. Mommy's here. I am trying, but I don't know what you want. I know you don't feel good, but I don't know how to make you feel better!" I sooth as I walk down the steps without taking my eyes off of my baby.

"Barb her fever went up. What should I do? I was thinking that I should bring-"

My sentence is cut short when I look up and see Santana standing in my foyer, staring at me wide eyed with her jaw on the ground. My stomach bottoms out with dread, this is the last thing I need right now. I quickly go through the last few minutes to see if there is any getting out of this. I quickly realize that, no there isn't, I said mommy in my rant to get Skylar to calm down.

Speaking of Skylar, she seems to know that something isn't right here because she finally stopped screaming and is just looking at Santana. For being only 5 months old she really is a genius. I have never heard of a baby being so perceptive, but I may be biased. She finally looks away from Santana and looks up at me and then her face crumbles again and the tears start back up.

Well that didn't last long.

She keeps looking from Santana to Barbara and then back to me. I realize that now not only is she crying because she doesn't feel well but also because she doesn't know Santana and doesn't feel comfortable with her here.

I can't believe this is happening today of all days. I really don't feel like dealing with this but I know that there is no turning back now.

Barb is nice enough to grab Skylar from me and bring her back upstairs to try and calm her down. Once they are out of eyesight my eyes go back and lock on Santana's who is still just staring at me.

"What are you doing here?" I snap with irritation clear in my voice. "I thought that I made myself quite clear in school today. I don't want you around. And I most certainly did not want you here."

"Who was that?"

"She was none of your business. Please leave."

"Who was that?"

She is in such a daze that I don't even think that she is processing what I am saying to her or that she is just repeating herself. I decide to give her a little information hoping it will snap the cheerleader out of her stupor.

"That was Skylar." It seemed to work too because she blinks for what seems like the first time since walking in the house.

"Who is Skylar." She asks a little more succinctly. I know that she heard what I had said to Sky before, and she is just trying to see if I will tell her the truth. It really is stupid to lie to her now, but I cannot have her going around and telling people about this.

"Please Santana, I am begging you, please don't tell anyone about this. Please. I can't have people knowing about this. You know what it is like for me in that place. Everyone at that school tries to make my life a living hell as it is, add this and I won't even be able to show my face in that place."

I know I am rambling but I don't know what I can say to get through to her, so I am just going to try everything that went through my head when deciding on what to do.

"Look at what happened to Quinn, and she was the most popular girl in school. I am the lowest of the low in that place, there won't even be a comparison. Plea-"

I didn't even realize that Santana had started to walk towards my until I felt her hand cover my mouth.

"Breath." I take a breath and just look at Santana with pleading eyes since she still has her hand over my mouth stopping me from saying anything. "Just breath Rachel. I am not going to say anything to anyone. But just so were clear, who is Skylar?"

I am still just looking at her with pleading eyes, even though for some reason I trust that she isn't going to tell anyone.

"Rae. Who. Is. Skylar."

I can't help but smile at her at this point. One because of the nickname and two because the only reason I haven't answered her question is because she still has her hand over my mouth. My smile against her hand makes her realize why I haven't answered and she moves her hand quickly and mumbles a sorry with a small smile.

"Skylar is my daughter." I all but whisper.

I have not really told anyone that before. Sure Barb knew, but it wasn't something that I ever outwardly had to say, it was pretty obvious when I was hiring her. Santana seems to be having a similar feeling toward my words because, even though she clearly knew the answer before, she is standing there stock still again.

An overly loud wale coming from Sky upstairs brings me out of my daze, and I look towards the ceiling as if I could see my daughter that way. I let out a small sign and then lower my gaze towards Santana again who also seemed to have been awoken by Skylar's scream.

"I know you have questions, that I really don't want to answer," I mumble the last part, "but right now is really not a great time."

"Is she ok?" I really expected her to ask me the questions regardless of what I just said. I was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong.

"I really don't know. I thought it was just teething but its getting worse. I don't know what to do. This is the first time she's been sick." I can feel my breathing starting to become ragged again as I get myself worked back up into a frenzy.

"Ok just calm down and take a deep breath." She is really good about reading my emotions, it's kind of strange.

"My dad is a pediatric surgeon at the hospital, if you want to bring her over to see him I am sure he would be more than happy to check her out for you."

Now if I were currently in a clear state of mind I would understand what she was saying. Instead…

"You think she needs surgery? I thought it was just a small cold, why would she need surgery? She's only a baby, how could I let this happen? Am I really that terrible of a mother that my infant daughter needs surgery?" I am aware that I am not breathing at this point, but that tends to happen in the middle of a panic attack.

"Whoa! Rae calm down."

"I can't breath! This can't be happening! She's only a baby!"

"Okay Rachel I need you to breath for me." She says as she grabs both my hands and hold them to her chest where I can feel her taking long even breaths. "Just follow what you feel me doing Rae, ok? Just breath. Your no good to her unconscious, so just breathe. For Skylar."

Her words get through to me and I start to take breaths to match hers.

"That's good Rae, just like that. Okay now that you're calmer, I wasn't saying that she needs surgery, only that that is my dad's specialty. In order to become a surgeon though he needed to go through primary medicine also, so he can look at Skylar for a cold. Which I am sure is all that is wrong with her. Because he is my dad though I can get you in to see him sooner than if you were to just go to the ER and wait."

She explains to me. I can tell that she is dumbing it down for me, but I am actually grateful for that right now.

"Do you want to do that?" She ask with a small smile on her face and I can tell that she is trying not to laugh at me right now since I am sure I look like a crazy person.

"Please don't laugh at me," I whine and she actually lets out a little laugh at this, "I am stressed." I finish my whine and pout.

"I know you are, its ok though we'll get her looked at and everything is going to be ok. Why don't you and I go upstairs and we will bundle the cutie up then me, you and your aunt can bring her over to see my dad." I nod my head and then furrow my eyebrows in confusion.

"My aunt?"

"The woman who answered the door, I think you called her Barb."

She's looking at me like I'm crazy again. I am so confused as to what is going on right now.

"She's not my aunt. Why would you think that?"

"She told me she was. When she was being rude to me after she answered the door, I asked who she was and she told me that she was your aunt."

"Why was she being rude to you?" This is like a web of confusion right now.

"She told me to go away and that you didn't want company. Which I guess was true. So she's not your aunt?"

I literally can't help the laugh that leaves me at this point, this day has been so ass backwards bizarre that I don't even know what to do with myself right now.

"No she is not my aunt. She is officially Skylar's nanny, unofficially she is my savior. She helps out wherever she can." I say with a fond smile because Barb really has been great.

"Oh, well either way lets go let her know what is going on and lets get going. That baby does not seem pleased right now and its kind of heart breaking to hear her cry like that." She responds as she pulls out her cell phone and starts texting someone.

"I can't help but agree." I say as I stare at her in amazement. She is being amazing about this entire thing. Not only is she respecting my wishes to not talk about it but she is also helping. But most importantly, she seems to genuinely care about Skylar's well being. I realize I'm staring at her pretty quickly and look away from her so that she won't notice the blush that is making itself known.

I hurriedly make my way upstairs to let Barbara know what's going on. She decides that she isn't going to go to the hospital with us if I have Santana and we are only going to be seeing Santana's father.

The entire time that I am getting all of Sky's stuff together and putting her jacket on, the infant doesn't take her eyes off Santana except for the few questioning glances that she gives me, all the while crying. Luckily she has calmed down a little bit and is no longer actively screaming, but her tears are still flowing nonetheless.

"I don't think that she likes me." Santana muses.

"She doesn't trust strangers. She's just not used to them, keeping her a secret means that she doesn't get out much. It has really only ever been her and me, and recently Barbara. The only times that she leaves the house really is when Barb brings her to the park." I say as I run my hand through tiny curls and smile lovingly down at her. "I don't really like it, but it's really the only option. If I bring her out of the house, it will lead to too many questions. Questions that I don't want to answer especially to people around here." I finish as we make our way downstairs and out to my car where the car seat is.

"How long do you think you'll be able to keep her a secret though? It isn't really fair to her that she doesn't get to leave the house, and it's not really fair to you either." She says with a sideways glance to me. "I'm not saying announce it to the world, but is hiding really better than everyone finding out?"

I can tell that she is trying not to overstep here and she is trying to respect my wishes not to talk about it. She honestly seems concerned for both of us in this situation, and it warms my heart to think about it. It doesn't really change the fact that if anyone found out I would be put through hell though.

"I know it sucks for her ok. I do. But what am I supposed to do. If people find out about her, my life would only get harder. School would only get harder. It would become harder to take care of her properly."

"If that's the case than why come back? I mean don't get me wrong, I _am_ glad that you came back, but wouldn't it have been easier for both of you to stay wherever you were before?"

"I couldn't stay where I was." I answer concisely. I am not going to get into all of that with her right now.

"I am sure that your dads could have moved out there with you. I just don't understand how it was easier for you to move back in with your dads here where all three of you get hell for their … lifestyle."

I know that she thinks that I had to come back to stay with my dads, which is why she is saying all of this, but she really is getting into dangerous territory unknowingly. That right there is where everything gets sticky. As much as my getting tortured in school is a part of me keeping Skylar a secret, it has more to do with the fact that if people found out that I am living alone with my daughter, I could be put into the system and so could Sky. I will not let that happen.

I guess I was quiet long enough for Santana to know that she hit a sour spot because she quickly tried to rectify it by saying, "You know what, its fine, we don't have to talk about it right now. There are more important things to worry about at the moment." I let out a sigh of relief and throw a quick grateful glance at the Latina. "But we will talk about this when Skylar is situated." She finish with and I visibly deflate.

* * *

><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

As we get out of the car and head towards the hospital entrance I ask if Rachel wants me to grab the car seat from her. When she declines, we just walk into the hospital in comfortable silence. The walk gives me a chance to think about everything that has happened in the last hour.

Is it bad that I am jealous of someone and I don't even know who that person is yet? I know that I have no right to be upset about this situation. It's clearly not like I have any say in who Rachel sleeps with now or who she was sleeping with last year. I only just started being nice to her right before she left.

Either way, knowing that she did in fact sleep with someone makes my stomach turn. The worst thing is that I don't know whether or not I actually want to know who the father is.

Skylar is incredibly cute. Way too cute to be Frankenteen's kid, but who else's could she be? Finnept didn't say anything last year when Rachel disappeared. When he thought that Beth was his, he put up one hell of a fight to help make decisions; I don't think he would be ok with Rachel just up and leaving with his kid. Unless he didn't know.

Does anyone know?

As we're walking into the hospital I can't stop looking at the baby. She is seriously adorable, despite the fact that she hasn't stopped crying since I met her. She is still staring at me too, she really doesn't seem to like me. Rach said that she doesn't like anyone who is new, so I just have to let her get to know me right?

I wonder how old she is, because she is tiny but she seems to understand what is going on around her despite being so young. Neither of these things should surprise me since Rachel is also tiny and smart.

I try to smile at Skylar, but this seems to upset her more because she starts to cry louder again.

"Oh geez, she really hates me." I mumble more to myself than to Rachel.

"She is just confused, both by you and her surroundings, add that to the fact that she doesn't feel well and she is just a little fussy. Don't take it personally."

I just shrug my shoulders at the shorter girl to let her know that I heard her as we make our way up to the nursing station of the pediatric ward. I can tell that she is trying to make me feel better but its not really working. For some reason it is really important to me that the little girl like me. You would think it was just because if Skylar doesn't like me clearly it's going to be harder to get closer to Rachel, but it's more than that. The infant barely sees anyone outside of her mom and nanny, she has a reason to be distrusting of others but it doesn't make it any less sad that she feels threatened by everyone. She really is just a mini version of Rachel, and I am determined to make it so that both of them feel less threatened by the world.

"Hey Sherry, is my dad around? He should know that I'm coming." I ask while smiling at the young red head behind the desk.

"Hey San! Yeah, he's around. Why don't you have a seat in the waiting room and I'll page him for you." She says with a smile, which I return before putting my hand on the small of Rachel's back and leading her into the waiting room. The fact that she doesn't pull away from my touch makes my heart soar, and I am doing a little happy dance inside because of it.

"My dad should be out in a little while, sometimes he gets a little caught up in what he's doing but it shouldn't be too long." I tell her as I take a seat in one of the chairs.

She follows my lead and sits next to me, picking the baby out of the car seat and holding her to her chest. Luckily the walk around the hospital seemed to help placate Skylar a little because she was no longer crying at all, instead she was only letting out little whimpers every once in a while.

"Ok, no problem. Thanks for all of this Santana, I don't think I said that earlier since I was having a panic attack and all," she giggles a little and I swear its like music to my ears. Too cheesy? Whatever it's the truth.

"But now that we have a moment to just sit and think, I would also like to formally introduce you two. Hopefully it will help her to trust you more." She continues as she resituated Skylar on her lap so that the little girl is sitting up facing me.

"Santana this is Skylar," She says with a smile.

"Hi Skylar, how are you?" I ask in a semi-baby voice. I was going to go full on baby voice but then remembered that Rachel hadn't been talking to her like that at all.

"Sky this is Santana. She is a friend of mine," She explains to the little girl and I can't fight the smile that takes over my face when I hear the singer call me a friend.

"She has been really nice to mommy since we came back, and she is going to help mommy keep our secret, so we have to be really nice to her so she doesn't change her mind." She tells the infant as if she would understand any of that. She may be smart, but I doubt that any kid of any age would really understand what Rachel was talking about.

"Rae, no matter what, I am not going to tell anyone about this. You could curse me out or punch me in the face and I would still keep this secret for you. I may hit back, but that's besides the point." I joke with my signature smirk on my face trying to lighten the mood.

She lets out a laugh that seemed substantially less forced than any I've heard since she came back and it made my smirk change to a genuine smile. Next thing I know the songstress is in my arms giving me a hug, which I quickly reciprocate being cautious of the small child in between us.

When she pulls back she has tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips and I can't help but feel like I have a real chance of being apart of her life, even if it is only as friends. My smile grows impossibly wider and I reach over and use my thumb to wipe off Rachel's teary cheeks.

When I look down at the baby in her arms I feel even more relief wash over me as I see Skylar smiling back at me also. Apparently the way into the smallest brunettes heart is through her mother's.

"How are you feeling cutie?" I ask the little girl in the singer's arms. Feeling a lot more comfortable talking to her now that she seemed to warm up to me a little more.

I can't help but let out a laugh as the baby starts to babble back at me. Even though there is no way for me to know what the curly haired girl is telling me I can't help but imagine that she is going on about her symptoms and what she is feeling. I may be projecting my thoughts of Rachel on her daughter.

"Is that so?" I ask as I reach forward hesitantly and tickle her sides.

The little girl starts to giggle which quickly turns into a cough, which serves as a reminder of where we are.

"Is this why you were late this morning?" I ask with a mischievous smile.

"Yeah. Why are you looking at me like that? It's creepy."

"I told you I'd find out." My smile turns back into a smirk. "You could never outlast me."

"Or you're obsessed with me and decided to find out on your own by stalking me." She teases with a laugh. Well, she's about half right, is all I can think.

"Actually I was at your house earlier because you left this at school." I remember as I pull out her cellphone and hold it out for her to take, it was then promptly taken out of my hands by Skylar who moves to put it into her mouth.

"Uh-uh chica that is not for you to eat." I say and take the phone from her hands to hand it to the young mother. The pout that forms on the little girls lips causes me to pause in my actions however. I am about two seconds away from giving the phone back to her when Rachel laughs and grabs the phone from me. "What's so funny?"

"She's known you for less than two hours and she already has you wrapped around her little, tiny finger." She laughs out.

I just give her an incredulous look, because that is totally not true. I am Santana Lopez, badass is my middle name, and no way a baby has me whipped. "Don't even try to deny it, you were about to offer up my cellphone to its drooly doom because she gave you a pout."

She is literally full on laughing now. I can't help but smile at how free she seems right now.

"Yea well maybe your phone would be safe if she didn't have your genes and inherit your adorable pout which makes it almost impossible for people to say no to you."

She stops laughing almost immediately and just looks at me for a second before looking down at the baby in her arms. "Adorable?" she asks shyly.

I can't help but smile adoringly at the blush that forms on her cheeks. "Adorable" I restate.

"Santana? What's going on, your text was really vague. Are you sick?" My dad asks announcing his arrival.

"No Papi, I'm fine, but this is my friend Rachel and this little cutie is Skylar. Skylar seems to be a little sick, and Rachel was worried, so I figured I'd see if you could check her out just in case." I explain to my father, knowing that he would have more questions but would help regardless.

"Ok, why don't we all go back to an examination room and we can talk and figure out what's going on with little Skylar here." He says sending a kind smile at Rachel and a questioning one to me.

When we get into the exam room I can tell that Papi wants to ask the questions that I have been disallowed to ask. Luckily since he's the doctor he has a better chance of getting answers out of the mother than I do.

"Ok Rachel why don't you sit on the exam table with Skylar on your lap so I can check her out," he tells Rachel. She just nods and follows his directions. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions while I look at her?" He asks and I am so happy that I chose to bring her here knowing now that I am going to get the answers to my questions, without having to break the promise I made to Rachel.

"Um… sure.. I guess." Rachel seems very nervous now. I feel bad, but I know that my dad is only doing his job and really is only trying to help out.

"Ok, great. Santana why don't you wait outside in the waiting room and we'll see you when were finished here."

Wait? What? No way in hell am I leaving here when they are about to have a conversation that I very much want to hear.

"Papi, I'm not leaving." I tell him matter-of-factly. I can tell that he is not pleased with my defiance, but I don't care.

"Excuse me? Young lady, I asked you to leave. This is none of your business."

Is he serious?

"Are you serious?" Well that pretty much summed up what I was feeling "I brought her here. She is my friend, making her my business."

"Santana, this office is about confidentiality. Something she can not have if a kid her own age is in the room with us." He says sternly and I can tell that I am losing this fight.

"It's ok Dr. Lopez, Santana can stay. It's nothing that she's not going to find out soon anyway."

I give my dad a triumphant smile that quickly turns into a sheepish look when he returns my smile with a glare that lets me know not to get cocky or I'll pay for it later.

"If your sure Rachel." He says while stepping in front of me effectively cutting me out of Rachel's line of sight. I know that he is just trying to make sure that I don't interfere with her decision, but it still annoys me nonetheless.

"I'm positive sir. I know that I can trust her. What do you want to know?"

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><p><strong>I hope you all liked it! And I am aware that I kinda left you all with yet another cliffhanger since I know you have all been waiting to find out the details behind Skylar. And I am aware that you all didn't seem to pleased about the cliffhanger from the last chapter. However, I like cliffhangers, they're fun for me so I make no promises that this will be the last :P<strong>

**So.. Shelby? Yay or nay? mind you that if she does it wouldn't be for a little while, as I stated above, I am already working on chapter 8 :)**

**Review Please! It makes my day!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Firstly, I just want to apologize for mistake about Rachel's fear about losing Skylar if the state finds out about her being left alone. I know nothing about CPS, and I am just going to pretend like Rachel doesnt either because now that I wrote that fear for Rachel, I would have to change a lot of what I wrote/planned to fix the mistake. I hope that this doesn't offend anyone or take away from the story at all.**

**Second, I changed my mind again.. lol Im probably going to update everyday, for as long as I have chapters to, or until you guys seem to be interested in the fic :)**

**Thank you everyone who put this fic on alert or favorite'd it.. but a special thanks to anyone who reviewed.. I really appreciate it! You have no idea how much they mean to me!**

**I want to also say a huge thanks to my beta GE0309! Your amazing!**

**Disclaimer: Skylar is mine.. Glee is not**

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 5<em>**

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

I figure I might as well kill two birds with one stone and just let Santana stay through the interrogation with her father. I know that he is just trying to help, but I can't help but feel weary about this entire thing. I realize that there is a doctor-patient confidentiality thing and he's a friend's dad, but he still has the power to tear my life apart if he chooses to.

"Okay Rachel, why don't we start off easy." He starts as he takes out the instrument to check Sky's ears. "How old is Skylar?"

"Almost five and a half months." I answer simply while holding on tighter to the baby since she is starting to squirm.

I knew that this wasn't going to be as easy as it first seemed. When Sky didn't start screaming when Dr. Lopez got near us I thought maybe she would be ok, but she is beginning to prove me wrong.

"It's ok baby, he's not going to hurt you. He's just trying to find out what's wrong so he can fix it." I whisper to her to try and calm her down. It seems to work too because she settles in my arms leaning back more into my chest.

"Do you have a primary pediatrician?"

"I did in Pittsburgh. I just moved back here two and a half weeks ago, but I haven't gotten around to finding one here yet. I figured I had a little time until her 6-month check up." I explain hoping that he doesn't think that I'm a terrible mom. I really need him to see me as a good caretaker for Skylar, I can't have him take her away from me. Without her I have nothing to live for anymore.

"I understand, moving is hectic especially with an infant. Add that to the fact that you are also in school, it's no wonder you haven't had time." I let out a breath that I didn't know that I was holding when I know that he isn't judging me for not finding a doctor sooner. "Is there a reason that your parents haven't helped you find a doctor before now though? Or why they aren't here now?"

I can feel the tears coming and there is nothing I can do to stop them. I figured I had a little more time before he brought up my dads, at least until after the appointment. Maybe then I could have just run away without answering. I don't know what to say to him right now. If I tell him the truth, I'm screwed, if I lie there are bigger implications when the truth comes out.

"I- I-" I look around trying to find an out. There has to be a way to get out of this conversation without answering that question.

When I feel a hand in mine, I look down and see that Santana has taken my hand to try and comfort me. "Just relax Rae. He is not trying to upset you, or anything like that. He is just looking out for you. Right Papi?" She asks without taking her eyes off of me. I can see out of my peripheral that her father is nodding at me to affirm his daughter's statement. "We both just want to help you out here Rae. Where are you fathers?"

"Gone." Is all I can get out before a sob rakes my body. Through teary eyes I see Skylar's head thrust up towards me when she hears the cry. Her eyes instantly fill with tears also as she squirms in my arms trying to turn around so she is facing me.

The next thing I know Skylar is being lifted off my lap and handed off to Dr. Lopez, and Santana is lifting me off the exam table and into her lap. She holds me to her chest and whispers calming words into my ear. It is weird how much comfort I am taking from the Latina's embrace. I melt into her as more sobs overtake my body.

When I am calm enough to look up from the Latina's neck, I look over to Skylar who is looking from me to Dr. Lopez and then back again. I can tell that this entire event is stressing her but surprisingly she is not crying.

When she sees that I have stopped crying and I'm looking at her she reaches her arms out to me. I oblige and grab her from the doctor when he hands her off to me. Once she's in my arms she happily tries to burrow her head into my chest.

"I'm sorry about that." I say self-consciously as I move to stand up embarrassed only to be tugged lightly back down onto Santana's lap. Once I am firmly back on her lap, she wraps her arms around me and Skylar while resting her chin on my shoulder. I am filled with a strange warmth that I am determined not to think about right now.

Once she realize how fucked up my life is she is going to go running for the hills and I refuse to rely on her comfort and friendship to heavily. She seems ok with Sky, but the little girl is only the tip of the iceberg. When she finds out everything, what are the chances that she'll want to stick around?

"Don't be embarrassed Rachel, that is a perfectly acceptable reaction to what you just told us." Dr. Lopez responds diplomatically with sorrow in his eyes. "And I am not trying to upset you again, but I have to ask, what do you mean your parents are gone?"

I take a deep breath because I really don't want to get into this entire thing right now but I know that there is no getting out of it. I decide instead to see how little information I can get away with giving them. "It's a long story, but it pretty much ends with my fathers leaving me their house and moving to California. They give me whatever money I need for both Skylar and myself. I take incredible care of her. I even have a nanny, ask Santana she met her, she's amazing. I have a stable life for Sky and myself, you don't have to worry. I swear I take good care of my daughter. I would never let anything happen to her." I ramble on because this was make or break time. If Dr. Lopez decided that I'm not fit to take care of my child he could take her from me.

"Rachel. Rachel, calm down. I am not asking you this in order to get you in trouble. I am merely asking because I am worried about you. Santana seems to care about you and she is an excellent judge of character. Add that to the fact that you are an extremely young mother living on her own with her child, I think that I have a reason to worry." He says kindly, but all I hear is that he is worried about me living on my own with my child.

"I swear though, you have no cause to worry. I make sure she has everything she needs."

"I never said you didn't, all I am saying is that it is not easy for a girl your age to take care of a child with a support system let alone without one. But you have to understand that I am not in anyway threatening your family here Rachel. I am just saying that I would like to help, and from the look of things so would Santana." He states calmly as he takes the seat next to the three of us. I can feel rather than see Santana nodding her head.

"No offense to either of you, but what can you really do. I've made my bed, now I must lay in it." I say looking down and running my hands through soft, brown curls.

"I am not going to ask you what happened that led you to Skylar, it frankly is none of my business, but that doesn't mean that I can not help. You are more than welcome to come and stay with San and me if you would like, but I understand that you have yourself situated at your own house and it's not very much fun moving around with a infant. But if there is anything that you need I really do not want you to hesitate to ask either San or myself. Do you understand?" He asks while lifting my chin to look him in the eyes. "Even if it is just someone to talk to or someone to keep you company."

"Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me? You barely know me. Santana and I just recently became friends. We were far from it before I left." I can feel the cheerleader stiffen, but I really don't understand how this is happening. How did I move from having no one to having Santana and her family because of one fortunate misstep?

"Because you deserve for something to work out for you Rae. You deserve a lot more than the lousy hand that you have been dealt. I don't know what happened last year, and I hope that someday you will feel comfortable telling me, but for right now I just hope that you can trust Papi and me. I know that this must be a lot to ask of you. After everything you've been though with your fathers trust may be hard to come by, but please just give us a chance to help." Santana answers with so much intensity that it feels palpable.

When I shift so that I can meet the Latina's eyes I can see just how much sincerity is swimming around in them. It brings tears to my eyes for what seems like the 100th time today, and all I can do is just nod my head yes to answer. When I feel the arms Santana has wrapped around me tighten, I feel safe for the first time in a long time.

"Ok, not to break up this moment but lets talk about the little girl in your arms for a minute, since she is, after all, why we are all here." He jokes trying to lighten the mood. Which I am eternally grateful for. "It seems that she has an ear infection. Nothing too serious but she is going to be unhappy until it goes away. Luckily a few ear drops everyday should knock this thing out pretty quickly." He explains as he stands and kneels down in front of us.

"Can I take you from your mommy for a second Hermosa Niña?" he asks as he reaches his arms out and waits for Sky to make the next move.

I can't help but smile at how good he is being to not only me but to my baby as well. He recognizes that she doesn't trust easily and is trying to let her trust him at her own pace. Skylar for her part just stares at him for a few moments and then lifts her head and looks up at me.

"I'm not going anywhere princess." I tell her while placing a kiss to the crown of her head. And she looks back over at Dr. Lopez. After one last glance up at me she slowly puts her arms out allowing Santana's dad to lift her from my lap.

I can't help but let out a laugh of relief at this. She rarely willingly lets _anyone_ take her from me. Sure she will allow herself to be lifted from my arms by Barbara, but she has never really brought her arms out to allow someone to pick her up. For the first time in over a year, I feel a lightness that has been evading me for so long.

I don't even realize that I'm crying again until I feel Santana wipe tears off of my cheek, "Your emotions are all over the place today aren't they." She jokes with a giggle.

"You have no idea." I respond as I watch Dr. Lopez effortlessly squeeze two drops of medicine into each of Skylar's ears. The baby seems confused by what is going on and once the cold drops enter her ear she decides that whatever this is, she really does not like it. She starts to cry but when the doctor holds her close to his chest after giving both ears medicine she almost immediately stops crying and snuggles into his chest. "You are amazing with her! I mean I guess it makes sense that you're good with kids, you do work with them after all, but still it's kind of amazing to see." I smile as I watch Skylar's eyes start to droop close.

"Seems like we have a tired baby on our hands." Santana says from behind me.

"She has been sleeping all day. Is that normal?" I ask and start to get worried again.

"It is perfectly normal, no worries. Her body works just like yours except more exaggerated. Just like you, her body gets worn out from fighting an illness, but because her body is smaller she gets even more worn out even faster. Don't fight her on the naps, you won't win." He says with a laugh. "Why don't we use this opportunity to talk a little about her history. If I am going to be her doctor, I am going to need to know more about her." He states while smiling down at her.

"I am going to need her doctors name from Pittsburgh to get her records but also any information that you think is useful that may not be in her official folder."

"Dr. Lopez please don't feel like you have to take her on as a patient. I can totally find another doctor around here." I try to reason with him.

"You'd better not!" He whisper yells, as to not wake up the slumbering infant in his arms, in faux anger. "And please call me Antonio or Tony, Rachel."

I smile kindly at him and shake my head because I really cannot believe all of this is happening.

"If you insist." The triumphant look on his face is priceless and I can't help but smile at him. "What type of information do you need?"

"He basically only needs her old doctor's name for medical purposes, but I can see in his eyes that he wants other information so that he can properly spoil her." Santana says with a laugh as she softly pushes up on my hips as a way to ask me to move off her lap.

I feel foolish for even being on her lap still, but also feel a weird feeling of disappointment when she asks me to move. Regardless I quickly stand up and take the seat next to her. She throws me an apologetic smile before walking up to her father and holding her arms out to him.

"My turn." She states simply and I cannot help but laugh when Antonio just shakes his head no at her.

"What do you mean no? I have yet to hold her because she hated me up until a little while ago. So, It's. my. turn." She says the last sentence as if each word is it's own sentence. I laugh even louder when the Latino just shakes his head again and starts to address me again.

Santana pouts and comes and sits next to me again. When she is situated in her seat she grabs me by the arm and pulls me back onto her lap. Once I am seated on her lap again she burrows her head in my hair and neck and I can tell that she is actually upset that she couldn't hold Skylar. I couldn't help but think that she is acting like a child who got their toy taken away, and the thought brings a smile to my face.

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I can't believe that my dad wouldn't let me hold the baby! He wouldn't even know her if it wasn't for me. Although as upset as I am, I am also glad that my dad has taken to both of them so easily. It feels good that he likes Rachel enough to look out for her so quickly.

I continue to listen to everything she has to say about Skylar. I realize that the little girl isn't related to me in the least and I've only known her for maybe 2 hours, but I want to do anything possible to make sure she is safe and happy. The same as Rachel. Being as she is only 5 months old though, there is not much to be told about her medical wise, but it's still good to know what she likes and dislikes, because what my dad said is true: I am going to be there for both of them from now on. They don't have anyone in their lives to look out for them except for a nanny who works for them. Although I must say that that Barbara woman certainly seems to be protective of them.

"Okay Rachel, I think I have everything I need. I just need you to sign here to allow me to call up Dr. Gent in Pittsburgh to get her medical records and were all set." He explains while passing a clipboard over to Rachel, who is still sitting on my lap.

"Now that were done here, why don't you guys go out for dinner, my treat."

"You really don't have to do that, Sir." I can't help but chuckle because Rachel is about to get lectured for two things all because of one short sentence.

"I have told you once Rachel, Antonio or Tony. Sir is worse than doctor!" He playfully chastises. "And nonsense, you will go out to eat and enjoy yourself."

"I'm sorry Tony, I didn't mean to offend you, but I really don't think it's the best idea for us to go somewhere public to eat." Rachel explains while lowering her head, and I instantly understand what she is saying.

"It's fine Rae, we can order in at your house."

"Oh, you think your getting this baby back while you go and eat? Oh I don't think so, you two are going to go out to eat, while I spend some quality time with this pequeño maní." He says with a fond smile while looking down at Skylar.

I honestly cannot help but laugh at my dad right now, he's crazy. Although he also seems a little stalkerish and like he is going to steal this child from her mother. I hope that Rachel sees him as the former.

"What?" Rachel looks up with confusion present on her face.

"I think he is offering to babysit while we go get dinner."

"Oh I couldn't ask you to do that. You have already done plenty."

"Nonsense."

That is seriously his argument? I know he doesn't know Rachel too well, but if I know her at all that argument isn't going to fly.

"Are you certain?"

What? I definitely expected her to put up more of a fight than that.

"More than certain. Is it ok if I bring the baby back to Santana's and my house? I am off now and it's probably better for the sick baby to get out of this germ infested hospital." He asks, and I realize now what he is doing. He is trying to allow Rachel to have a semi-normal teenage life. He really is an amazing guy.

"I don't see why not, her car seat is in my car, we can transfer it to yours if that's what you want to do. But she is probably hungry, I think I should feed her before we leave."

"Just give Papi the bottle, I'm sure he can figure it out from there." I joke.

"Santì, I think that Rachel is the bottle." My dad explains with a chuckle while Rachel's cheeks blush bright red.

"Oh…Oh! Oh, O-k, Um well then why don't Papi and I go move the car seat while you…d-do that and you can meet us outside." I stutter out.

"Ok thanks," Rachel says still red faced with embarrassment.

"Don't be embarrassed kid, it's natural and the most healthy option for the baby in my opinion." I know that my dad is just trying to make sure that she is as comfortable with this as possible, but I can tell that she is not 100% comfortable with leaving her baby with basically a stranger.

"Rae if you're not ok with this we can just forget it and go back to your place or even our place and just order in." I tell her, "We don't want to force you to do something you're not comfortable with" I say pointedly at my dad.

"No it's fine, as long as you're sure that you are ok with watching her." She says turning to my dad.

"It's no problem at all." He says while handing the baby off to her mother while I grab the keys from Rachel's coat pocket. Once we make sure that the mother and daughter are settled Papi and I set out for Rachel's car.

We don't even get completely down the hallway before he breaks the short silence we were in. "So, is she _her_ then?" he asks as if I should totally understand that question.

"What are you talking about?"

He huffs as if I am the one that is annoying him with stupidity rather than the other way around. "The girl that you're in love with," he says as if that was obvious by his first statement. Wait…

I stop walking and spin around towards him "Wait…What?"

He lets out a hearty laugh "Oh come one Santì, I've been with you since you took your first breath, I have know since you were in kindergarten that you were gay. I have to admit that for a while there I thought that you were with Brittany. But then I realized that Brittany was not who you were in love with when you became depressed last year right after your glee club sectionals. It was obvious that something happened to the person you truly loved. It cannot just be a coincidence that this girl disappeared last year right around that same time. I have been waiting for you to come and tell me on your own, but I can only hold onto so much patience here Hija." He says giddily with another laugh.

I cannot believe that he has known this entire time and didn't say anything. It would have been a lot easier if I would have known that he knew. Definitely a lot less stressful. I have always worried about how he would react when he found out. I always assumed that when I told him that he would kick me out. Now I feel guilty for thinking so little of him.

I guess my father saw the guilt on my face because he steps close to me and pulls me into a tight hug. I quickly wrap my arms around him and bury my nose in his chest, taking comfort in the smell of his cologne.

"Mija, everyone has to come out in their own time; I _do not_ blame you for not telling me. That being said, now that I know that you found your alma gemela I figured it was time that we had a talk about it." He soothes as he pulls back and we start to walk towards the parking lot again. "Just to be sure, I am correct in my assumption that she _is_ the girl, correct?"

I can't help but laugh him, "Wouldn't it suck if it weren't now. You already offered her a place in our family, if it weren't her I would have to be with her regardless." I quip making both of us laugh.

"Maybe I did come on a little strong, but it's not everyday you get a chance to make an impression on the girl your daughter is in love with, and has been for quite some time."

"You definitely came on a lot strong," I laugh "You basically did everything but call that little girl your granddaughter. As much as I love how good your being to both of them, you really need to tone it down Papi. While you are correct that she is the one, she doesn't know that. She probably doesn't even feel the same way, and there is a huge possibility that she is straight if that infant upstairs is any indication." I say while looking down.

"Regardless of how she feels though, I am going to make sure that I take care of both of them, they deserve a lot more than they have." I finish with conviction.

My dad looks down at me with love in his eyes, "I don't tell you this enough Mija, but I am so proud of you, and I know that your mother would be as well." Those simple words instantly bring tears to my eyes.

"Gracias Papi."

We spent the rest of the walk in silence, both of us in our own heads. After we grab the car seat from the diva's car and walk over to where my Papi's Lexus is parked I open the front door and sit in the passenger seat with my legs outside the car while he installs the car seat in the back. We remain in silence until he has the seat installed completely. When he is finished he closes the back door and leans against the car next to where I'm sitting.

"You know I am here for you no matter what, right? No matter the outcome of this, I will be by your side, whether for a shoulder to cry on, or for a arm to hold while you walk down the aisle." He says without looking down at me.

"Oh geez Papi, we haven't even gone on a date, for god sakes we just became friends, and your already talking about a wedding. You really are getting ahead of yourself." I laugh out ignoring the other possibility that he alluded to.

"But those are really the only two options aren't they? When it comes to love, those really are the only outcomes." He says looking down at me finally.

"Way to bring down the mood Papi. You really know how to kill a party." I try to jest to cover up the confusion and hurt that his statement dug up.

"I am not trying to upset you Mija, just make sure that you know that I'm here. No matter what."

"I know Papi." I say as I get out of the car and wrap my arms around him. "You've always been there for me."

We stand there hugging for I don't even know how long. The only thing that snaps us out of our bubble is someone clearing their throat.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, did you guys want to change the plans? I don't mind if you want to spend time together. I would just need the car seat back."

"Don't be silly, were just having a discussion, but were all good now. Right?" He asks me.

"Yea everything's perfect." I affirm without turning around while I wipe my cheeks of the errant tears that leaked out.

"How about you? Everything good?" I ask after finally turning to face her.

"Yep," She answers while giving me a skeptical look, before looking towards my father, "she is all fed and should be good hunger wise for a few hours, so she shouldn't need anything until after I grab her again. This is actually around the time she goes to sleep, so she should be going down soon, however that being said she has been sleeping all day so it's possible that her schedule may be a little messed up. There are extra diapers and a change of clothes in her diaper bag. If she does for some reason get hungry-"

"She is starting to eat mushed up veggies and baby oatmeal." Papi finishes with a laugh, "I know Rachel. We just went over all of this during the appointment. Everything will be fine, I promise. You can even call every five minutes if you feel it is necessary. I know it's hard to leave your baby alone, especially since you just met me, but you deserve to be a kid for a little while."

"Ok" She responds with a breathy laugh "The gross oatmeal packages are in the diaper bag if you need them, and give me a call for anything you need. Thank you so much for this, I really appreciate it." With that she hands over the diaper bag and climbs into the back seat to strap in the baby. I watch from outside the car as Rachel places a kiss on both the baby's cheeks and one on her forehead before murmuring something to her and climbing out of the car.

"How is it that I still have yet to hold the baby, but my dad is babysitting already? Something seems off here." I joke while the other brunette and I walk towards her car.

"Well while he gets a pooping, crying, _sick_ baby, you get to hang out with her cool mom, I think you got the better deal." She quips back quickly. It almost sounded like she was flirting.

"I definitely did." I answer with a smile.

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><p><strong>I hope you guys don't think that Antonio came off as a creeper or stalker type, I have been really worried that you guys will : I just wanted to have at least one adult in Rachel's corner.. let me know what you think**

**I am also aware that this isn't really what you were waiting for.. I needed to get this in before I started to get rather into the secrets of Rachel's past. I wanted to show that Santana is serious about helping Rachel. I PROMISE that the next chapter starts to explain the past more!**

**Thanks for reading.. Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys I want to say a HUGE thank you to every who reviewed, alerted or favorited this fic! I especially want to thank all of those who reviewed because in you guys have reached over 100 already.. It blows my mind! Thank you all so much!**

**Here is the next chapter, and you guys are finally getting a piece of the puzzle! I hope that it meets your standards! **

**Just an FYI flashbacks are in Italics :)**

**I wanto to say a HUGE thanks to my beta as well GE0309.. I have been a complete pain in the ass but she has been awesome about it!**

**There may be a small trigger warning (I dont really know for sure but I want to say this jic.. better safe than sorry)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own glee**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 6<strong>_

**Rachel's POV**

As I pull up to Breadstix Santana's eyes light up. I can't help but laugh at the sight. I have heard the stories about Santana and her 'stix' but I never completely believed them. The look in her eyes is starting to solidify the truth behind them though.

"Breadstix?" She is practically bouncing in her seat. I can't help but think she looks cute right now. I quickly shake that thought away.

As she turns to look at me, she mellows out a bit. "We don't have to eat here just because I like it. We can go wherever you want to go instead. I mean this is about you getting out of the house and having a good time."

"Don't be silly, just going out to eat with you is a good time." I respond as I start getting out of the car.

"Don't get me wrong, I love my daughter, and I can't imagine my life without her now, but I never really get to go out anymore. You can't imagine how stir crazy a person can go when their only company is an infant. I find myself having the most random conversations with Barb just because she is around to talk to. She is amazing and a total lifesaver, but not really the best converser when it comes to pop culture." I finish with a laugh.

She quickly joins in with my laughter "I would imagine not."

As we near the building she quickens her steps so that she gets to the door in enough time to hold it open for me. I quickly bow my head to hide my blush as I hum my thanks to her.

If I thought Santana's happy dance in the car when she saw where we were was funny, the hostess's eyes bugging out as she starts shifting uncomfortably on her feet at the sight of Santana was absolutely hilarious.

"Um. Yes. Hello Satan – Santana! – how are you this evening?" I don't think I have ever seen someone so frightened before. Even at school people aren't usually this afraid of her. I cannot help but wonder what exactly Santana has done here to make her so shifty.

When it is obvious that Santana is not going to answer, the hostess continues. "Table for two?" She ask nervously.

"Put us somewhere quite and secluded so we can't talk." Santana responds succinctly looking as disinterested as possible.

With that the hostess picks up two menus and walks us to the far back corner of the restaurant. Once the menus are on the table, a glare from Santana sends the poor girl scurrying away.

"Was that strictly necessary?" I faux chastise, even though my laugh is giving me away. "The poor girl looked like she needs a change of pants. What exactly have you done here to make her so scared of you?"

"I don't take any shit from them." She answers coolly. "I simply want what a want, and if I don't get it I throw a fit until I get it."

"That doesn't sound like a spoiled brat to you?" I ask giggling.

"Does you diva storm outs not sound like one to you?" She counters with a smile.

"Touché," I bow my head in surrender before breaking out into a fit of giggles.

"Nice to see you again Santana, what can I get you to drink," He greets, while placing on the table the biggest basket of breadsticks I've ever seen here. Santana's hand instantly reaches into the basket. Although the boy is clearly nervous, he is hiding it much better than the hostess did, I have to commend him on his bravery.

Once we place our drink orders and the waiter, whose nametag said Tyler, hurries away to get our drinks, we look over out menus to decide what we want to get. When we have both decided we mindlessly chat about nothing in particular while waiting for Tyler to come back.

"Here you go ladies." He says as he places our drinks on the table smiling at me while avoiding Santana's eyes. "Have you decided what you want to eat?"

His eyes keep shifting from the both of us down to the pad of paper in his hands, I am literally barely holding in the giggle that is threatening to escape right now. I feel like he is about to just run away and quit right now. I decide to put him out of his misery and order so he can leave quicker.

"Can I have the chicken parmesan please?" I ask politely as I close my menu and hand it to him.

I look over to Santana waiting for her to order, only to see her staring at me with a confused look on her face.

"And for you Santana," Tyler stutters out, obviously not sure if he should try and hurry her.

"I'll have my usual," She states with a wave of her hand without even taking her incredulous eyes off of me. I start to shift in my chair under her stare.

"What?" I finally ask after what felt like hours of her staring at me.

She must realize what she is doing because she quickly looks down at her drink and stirs it with her straw before moving her eyes back up to mine. Luckily this time her gaze is less severe and more comfortable.

"You're vegan, why would you order chicken parmesan?"

"I – how did you know I was vegan?"

"Finn literally came up to Quinn, Britt, and I almost ever other day while you were dating asking what it meant when you said you were vegan. The idiot." She explains as she shakes her head at Finns stupidity.

"Wow- he's just- wow. But still, I can't believe that you remembered that all this time later. I mean that was almost a year ago."

"I have a pretty good memory." She states flippantly. "So what gives? Why did you stop your veganism?"

"Oh well about four or five months into my pregnancy Skylar decided that she didn't want to eat rabbit food anymore. She preferred steaks." I explain with a snicker. "What's worse though is that I had this unbelievable urge to eat ham all the time. Even if I weren't vegan before, ham is still not kosher!" I shake my head while chuckling remembering the internal struggle I had during my pregnancy because of that.

"After the pregnancy I thought about going back to the veganism, but I decided that I liked meat too much. Plus I had to make sure I kept up all of my vitamins as naturally as possible because of the breastfeeding."

I don't even realize what I'm saying until it's already out of my mouth. It is crazy how comfortable I am around her. It's to the point that I am not even filtering what I say. My eyes widen once I process what I just admitted and blush a deep red. I don't ever remember blushing as much as I have in the last few weeks with Santana. The cheerleader's chuckle doesn't help to hinder my embarrassment. Luckily, she doesn't let me stew in my humiliation for too long and continues on with conversation.

"The pregnancy seems to have change you a lot. I haven't seen you in an animal sweater or short plaid skirt all year. Although I have to admit the absence of the latter is kind of upsetting." She says with a wink. My blush returns with a vengeance. Is she doing it intentionally to make me blush now or is she actually flirting with me?

"Uh- um- Anyway." I can't believe that I am letting her get into my head like this.

"And you stopped talking in paragraphs… most of the time." She finishes with and I can tell that she is trying to hold back her laugh.

"Actually the clothes and the speech are not really related. I stopped speaking like that because I grasped how annoyed people were by it. When you have no one to talk to for a while, you have time to look over your life. I realized that I was just pushing people away when I talked like that." I say with a shrug.

"And the clothes?" She asks while grabbing a second breadstick out of the large basket.

"The clothes were never something I liked." I explain as I lean back in the booth and look down at my hands. "My dads were amazing when I was growing up. They were always there for me, until they weren't." The last part came out more bitter than I intended.

Bringing up my dads is always hard, but I feel like I can trust Santana and I feel safe when I'm in her presence. Plus I decided on the drive over here that I should tell her everything now, that way when she runs away, I wouldn't have gotten too attached and neither would Skylar. Although if I am being truthful with myself, I think I got too attached when she made an effort to make Sky like her.

"I loved them and they loved me, but what they say about gay men and fashion is just a stereotype. At least it is when it came to them" I say with a chuckle. "I _never_ liked the outfits that they bought for me. But they were always so excited about them, so I wore them regardless of the fact that I looked like- how did you put it? Oh yeah 'the fantasy of a perverted Japanese businessman'." I say with a giggle, which is cut short when I see the Latina bow her head in shame.

"Don't worry about it, although a very colorful description, you weren't entirely off base." I say as I reach across the table and squeeze her hand reassuringly. "You have done more than enough today to make up for it."

"No I haven't. I treated you like completely shit for years, and for what? Because Quinn said that's what we should do. I have never been one to follow the crowd like that until I moved here. I am so ashamed of myself for folding into peer pressure and treating you like that. My father would be too if they found out."

"It's fine Santana. Well it's not fine, but it's in the past. I've moved on, and I think you should too or we are never going to be able to be proper friends."

She finally looks up and meets my eyes and I shoot her my very best stage smile, which makes her giggle. At the sound of her giggle my stage smile turns into a genuine one.

Just as Santana opens her mouth to say something, the waiter comes up to our table with a tray that is carrying our plates of food. He places both of plates in front of us then turns back towards the tray and presents another large basket of breadsticks, even though we still have more than half of the first basket left. I send him a quick smile of thanks before unwrapping my silverware so I can dig into my food. I didn't realize how hungry I was until right now. The taller girl quickly follows suit.

"So.." Santana says somewhat awkwardly after taking a bite of her food. I can't help but sigh because I know what she wants.

"Just ask what you want to Santana." I say more harshly than I meant to. I let out another sigh, because I don't want to push her away before she has the chance to make her own decision on our friendship.

"I'm sorry. Just go ahead and ask," I say less severely this time.

"What happened to your dads Rae? Whenever I saw them at glee functions they seemed like loving, doting fathers. How did you end up living alone?"

My eyes instantly fill with tears and I look down at the food in front of me as I start to push the spaghetti that came as a side around with my fork. This was turning out to be harder than I anticipated it would be.

"That's hard to explain if you don't know everything that happened before that." I explain carefully without taking my eyes off my plate.

"Hey, you know what, I don't need to know. Forget I asked, lets just go on with dinner. Ok?"

"No, I need to get this out. I need to tell you this because I refuse to let you around my daughter if you are just going to disappear when you realize how fucked up this all is. How fucked up I am." I say conviction.

"Rae, I'm not going anywhere no matter what."

"You don't know that. You don't know what you're getting yourself into. Until you do, you can't promise me that you won't want to leave. So as hard as this is for me, I need to tell you the whole story. But I need for you to give me time, and be patient with me."

"I'll do whatever you need me to do, but there is nothing you can tell me that will change my mind about helping you." She says with so much sincerity that I almost break into tears at her words alone.

"I'll start from the beginning."

**Santana's POV**

I know that I have been trying to get this information out of her for a while. It has actually been my goal for two weeks now, even though up until today I didn't even know what she was hiding. But now that she is about to tell me, I am having second thoughts about wanting to know.

Don't get me wrong, I still want to know, but her reluctance to tell me followed by her need to tell me, is making me second guess myself. The fact that she is only telling me because she doesn't want to get too close to me, only for me to leave her alone again, is heartbreaking. I wanted her to tell me because she wanted to confide in me, not because she wants me to leave sooner rather than later. What could be so bad that she thinks it's going to scare me off?

"One of the girls in my dance class threw a party last year. I wasn't invited, but my daddy overheard a few of them talking about it as they were walking out of the building and just assumed that I would be attending as well. When he asked me if I was going, I didn't have the heart to tell him that no one liked me so I wasn't invited. I figured that if the party was going to be as big as it sounded, no one would even notice that I was there."

I have a feeling that I am not going to like where this is going. It is starting to sound like she had a one-night stand with some guy at a party. It sounds like she is about to tell me that she lost her virginity to someone she doesn't even know.

"I decided before I even got there that I wasn't going to drink. No way was I going to be at a party unwelcomed and drunk."

_As soon as her dad pulled up to the house Rachel could already see that the party was in full swing. The music was blasting and could be heard easily from the curb._

"_Ok sweetie have fun and don't get into too much trouble." Her daddy, Hiram, joked. _

"_Thanks daddy, I won't. I'll call you when I'm ready to be picked up." _

_After placing a kiss on his cheek, she jumped out of his SUV and started to walk towards the door. _

_The minute she got inside the house she was enveloped by the smell of alcohol and sweat. She looked around to see if she could see anyone she knew and her eyes landed on none other than Jesse St. James. She couldn't believe it. He wasn't even supposed to be in town. He was supposed to be in LA. She immediately made a v-line away from him, not really being over the whole 'egg incident' as it had come to be called. _

_She happened to wander into the kitchen where all of the drinks were and was thankful that the host had bought regular drinks along with alcoholic drinks. Probably to mix or chase with, but she didn't care, as long as they were alcohol free. She quickly grabbed a cup and poured some Pepsi in it before making her way out to what seemed like the dance floor. _

_She decided that if she had to stay here for a respectable amount of time to prove to her dads that she had friends that she should at least attempt to have a good time. So with that thought in mind she went out onto the dance floor and started dancing like everyone else. The room was so crowded that everyone was made to dance close to each other just as a way to fit. _

_She had gotten so into the music and the dancing that she wasn't paying attention to her drink. Only taking sips out of it whenever she got to hot or dehydrated. _

_She didn't understand why her vision started to become fuzzy or why she felt so light headed, but she didn't care, she was having an amazing time. _

At this point Rachel's eyes were filled with tears that have yet to fall and she had a look on her face like she was still trying to figure out what happened. Although it was clear.

"You were drugged." It was meant to be a questions, but when it fell from my lips it was more of a statement than anything else. Still she nodded her affirmation as a tear finally broke loose from the pack and made its way down her flawless cheek.

"I feel so stupid now! I should have known that something wasn't right when I was feeling that way. I hadn't even been drink! Why would I have been getting drunk? Why didn't I call my dads to come pick me up?" I can see the frustration building up in her eyes. She is asking questions that really can't be answered.

"The drugs altered your state of mind Rae. You can't blame yourself for that, you were being responsible. You chose not to drink. Some asshole did this to you, it's not your fault." I try vehemently to make her understand.

"I don't know who did it or why- well I can guess why." She says with a humorless laugh as more tears join the first. "But their plan didn't seem to work out, because I know for a fact that I was no where near Jesse at all that night, yet when I woke up naked the next morning he was the one laying naked next to me."

She is now openly crying across the table from me. I quickly get up and move to the other side and wrap my arms protectively around her.

"It's ok Rae, you can stop if you want. You don't have to continue."

"No." She responds tersely. I am just glad that she doesn't pull herself out of my grip.

I can't believe this. I was ready hear that she had no idea who Sky's dad was. That would have been an easier pill to take. But Jesse St. Dickweed, the jackass who used her to get ahead and then egged her just to drive that point home? Not so much.

I was seeing red. How could someone do that to her. She didn't deserve that! Why can't anything just work out for her? There isn't really anything worse then getting drugged and date raped at a party.

Date raped. You never think that it will actually happen to someone you know. And I definitely never think of all the consequences of it happening.

"When I woke up the next morning, I freaked out. I didn't want to be there. So I just got up, got dressed, and left before Jesse woke up. Before I got completely out of the house I heard Jesse wake and ask what the hell was going on."

She swallows thickly as she burrows further into my chest. I can't help but be happy that she is taken comfort in my arms, but why does it have to be for this reason?

"I walked down the block and called my dads to pick me up. When they pulled up to me, they didn't even seem to care that I stayed out all night and looked a wreck. They were just glad that I was finally getting 'friends' who weren't Finn."

Finn. Where the hell was Finn during all of this? Why would he not go with his girlfriend to something like this? They would have been dating at that point. What kind of boyfriend just allows their girlfriend to go to a party alone?

She seems to sense my question. "They hated Finn, they told me that they would prefer if he weren't at the party, that way I could make new friends without him interfering" She says with a sardonic laugh.

"When I got in the car, that was the first time I noticed how much my body hurt. It felt like it was being torn apart as I lifted my leg to climb into Daddies SUV."

Her chest is starting to heave now, like she is having trouble breathing. I reluctantly use her shoulders to pull her back away from me a few inches so she had room to breath. She tries to move back towards me but I keep her where she is.

"I need you to breath. Just take a few deep breaths." I watch as she inhales deeply and then exhales unevenly. "Good. I know that you want to get all of this out, but why don't we pack up our uneaten food and get out of here first. We shouldn't be doing this in a public place, even if we are in the far corner, away from everyone. We should head back to my house, pick up the baby and head to your house. We can finish up our dinners and this conversation there." I reason.

She looks into my eyes and nods her head. "Stay over tonight? I don't really want to be alone after reliving all of this."

I give her a small smile. "Of course."

I quickly summon the waiter, Tim I think his name is, over to the table and get the check. Once we've paid I slide out of the booth and hold out my hand for her to take. She quickly accepts the offered hand and clings to it like a lifeline.

When we make it out to the car I grab the keys from her and open the passenger side door for her to get in. There is no way I'm letting her drive like this.

"I know it's hard, but you should try to calm down. If Skylar sees you like this she is going to sense something's wrong right away. Then she'll probably think it was me, and I just got her to like me." I joke in hope to get her to stop crying.

Luckily it works and she lets out a small giggle as she sniffles. She quickly reaches into her purse and pulls out a few tissues and dries her eyes.

"What happened to the badass HBIC I've growth to know?" she teases with a watery laugh.

"Maybe she found something, or someone, to stop being a bitch for." I respond seriously.

In my peripheral, I can see her head snap towards me as she stares at me with a confused look on her face. I know now is not the time to tell her how I feel. It probably won't be that time for a while, but I couldn't help that comment from coming out. It was too perfectly set up, and it really is the truth. But I can see now that all the comment did was confuse her and she has enough to worry about already.

"Sky really has the power to change the world if she can reform someone as badass as me," I finish with a forced laugh.

When the time is right I'll tell her the truth, but now is not that time. I can see out of the corner of my eye that her confused look turns into a fond smile as she thinks of her daughter.

"She really does doesn't she."

"Most definitely, all she has to do is throw out a well timed pout and everyone everywhere will fall to their knees" I let out another giggle.

Even though the situation is far from ideal and I know that we still have more painful conversations to come, I can't help but feel freer around the diva. I never feel relaxed enough to giggle around anyone besides Brittany usually. But with the songstress, I can't even try to hold it back.

I can feel rather than see her staring at me again.

"What?" I finally ask as we pull up to my house.

She doesn't say anything, she just continues to stare. I feel like she's burning a hole into the side of my head. I wish I knew what she was thinking. I don't even have an opportunity to look at her properly until we pull into my driveway and I can shift in my seat.

When I meet her stare I see that her stare is accompanied by a small smile. The intensity in her eyes causes my breath to hitch.

"I like this side off you Santana. It makes me feel like every other side I've seen has been a lie, or an act. I hope I get to see this side of you more." With that she hops out of the car and walks up to the door.

I sit there dumbfounded for a few moments before catching up to the real world and follow the petite girl. When I finally catch up to her at the front door Rachel is giggling at me. I just roll my eyes in return and try and act nonchalant about the whole thing, even though I'm jumping for joy inside.

I open the door to my house and raise my hand signaling for the other brunette to go in before me. When we get in I can tell that Rachel is straining her ears to try and hear my dad and her daughter.

"They're probably upstairs. He most likely put her in my room" I try and ease her worries. "Let me hang up our jackets and then we can go find them."

It doesn't seem to calm her, because she is still shifting her head around as if the infant was just going to appears. Unfortunately, I see my dad came down the stairs a moment later looking exhausted and disheveled. I know her anxiety is only going to rise. I was proven correct when I see the young mother stiffen beside me.

"Oh hello girls. That was quick, how was diner?" He asks as he discretely straightens his appearance.

"What happened? Are you ok? Is Sky ok?" She asks frantically as she starts to look around again.

"Everything is fine Rach. Sky is fine. She just gave me a hard time going to bed is all. I could tell that she was tired but she didn't seem to like the idea of sleep. She kept crying and looking around the room. I think she was looking for you." I can't help but chuckle at this, because Rachel was just doing the same thing. Like mother like daughter I guess.

"She finally gave up the fight with her exhausted body and let sleep come. She actually just went down about ten minutes ago."

His explanation seems to quell her fears because her shoulders visibly loosen. She simply nods her acceptance.

Once he no longer was concentrating on calming the mother down, Papi took a second to look us over. He seems to be surveying our appearance, which causes me to as well. Rachel's make-up is smudged around her eyes and there are tear streaks down her cheek. It is obvious that she had been crying.

"How did your dinner go? Is everything ok?" He asks cautiously. I can tell that he is worried but still trying to respect our privacy and give us space.

I give him a sad smile and shake me head just enough for him to see. "Were working on it. Can I stay with Rachel tonight?"

"Yes, of course you can." He answers before turning his attention to the brunette standing next to me. "But if you want, you can both stay here tonight Rachel." I can see in his eyes he is hoping that she chooses to stay, but I know she won't.

"Thank you Tony, but Skylar doesn't have anywhere to sleep here and I don't like the idea of her sleeping on the floor or on a bed, where she can roll over and get hurt."

"I understand. Why don't you guys come over here tomorrow and we can go shopping for a few things Skylar might need when she is here. That way if you ever want to sleep over or we are babysitting, she has what she needs."

"Sure, that sound nice." She answers with a smile.

We sit on the couch for a little bit and just talk to my dad about random crap. I can tell that it's helping the diva get her mind off everything, which I am grateful for. As we started taking about other weekend plans a heart wrenching cry sounds out through the large house. Rachel is quick to her feet and starts towards the stairs. She abruptly turns towards us about halfway up the stairs.

"Um, what room is she in?"

"Santana's room," my dad answers quickly.

"Come on I'll walk you up." I say as I get up and half jog over to her. I quickly grab her hand as I pass her and pull her behind me.

I push the door to my room open, and we are met with the sight of Skylar on her stomach on the floor pushing herself up on her arms. She is staring at the door crying, just waiting for someone to come get her.

When she sees her mother she quickly lowers herself off her arms and rolls onto her back. The second her back his the red carpet of my room, the babies arms fly towards her mother. Without even a second of thought, Rachel is bending down to pick up her daughter.

I just stand in the doorway and watch the mother and daughter interact. Skylar is still crying but her cries have died down in intensity. Rachel is just holding the baby close to her chest whispering soothing words into her ear while bouncing her knees up and down slightly.

Despite the little girls tears, they look so at peace with each other. It is obvious that the infant trusts her mother to take every pain and sorrow away, and the mother trusts the child to never leave her. The way they cling to each other shows not just how much love they both have for each other, but also how dependent they are on each other. It brings tears to my eyes.

I feel like I am witnessing a private moment that I shouldn't be. I don't know what to do other than to just shift my eyes away from them, afraid that if I left the room completely that Rachel might feel like I abandoned her, even though I am still in the house. Seeing how dependent the mother is on the five month old, how much she eats up the love she is given breaks my heart. It's obvious by just looking at them that Rachel thinks the only person in the world who loves her, is the little girl in her arms.

I make a vow to myself that I will show her how wrong she is. I would never want to take her love away from her daughter, but I am determined to show her that people other than Skylar can (and do) love her. I will show her love in whatever sense she'll take it from me.

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><p><strong>So what did you all think? Surprised? Hate it? (If so, Im sorry)<strong>

**Want to give a heads up.. I have a family event tomorrow, so I dont know for certain if I'll be able to update tomorrow.. I will try my best though I promise!**

**Let me know what you think! Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I know I said that I probably wouldnt be updated until Sunday, but since you guys are awesome I decided to post before everything got started today :) Thank you all sooo much for the alerts, favorites and reviews for the last chapter.. its overwhelming how much support this story is getting, I cant even put it into words.. I never imagined that you guys would actually like this story, I figured only a few people would read it, but the amount of people who have this on alert astounds me. Thank you all so much!**

**Quick heads up, I posted a poll on my profile, I would really appreciate it if you could give it a look. Thanks!**

**I want to thank my awesome beta GE0309 for being .. well awesome lol..**

**Disclaimer: Skylar is mine, Glee belongs to Fox..**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 7<strong>_

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

After comforting Skylar in Santana's room, I took the baby down stairs while Santana packed up some things to bring to my house. While she was doing that, Tony showed me how to give Sky the eardrops. After that we pretty much just packed up all of Skylar's stuff, said goodbye to Tony, and headed back to my house.

As we are pulling into my garage, the feeling of dread fills me again. Now that we're here we are going to have to continue our conversation from earlier. I know that she keeps telling me that I don't have to continue, but I really feel like she needs to know everything now rather than later. At the same time, I really don't want to talk about it anymore tonight. I don't know what to do right now.

Santana lightly gripping my lower arm as her voice breaks through the fog inhibiting my brain brings me out of my daze. "We don't have to talk about it right now. Just relax. Why don't we go in and get Skylar situated then finish eating our dinners. After all of that, if, and only if, you still want to talk then we can continue our earlier conversation. If you don't, that's fine too, we can just watch a movie or something."

I was so completely lost in thought that I didn't even realize that we are still just sitting in my car, in the garage. Luckily Santana seems to have killed the engine of the car so we didn't all die from inhaling the car fumes. I didn't even realize how tense I had become. My knuckles are turning white from how tightly I am gripping the steering wheel, and my back and shoulders are actually starting to hurt from all the tension in them. Luckily at Santana's touch, I am able to relax a little.

"I want to finish our conversation." I say unsteadily. "I need to finish our conversation. But I don't know if I can finish our conversation. At least not tonight."

I am ashamed that I can't get it all out. Why is this so difficult for me? Why have I never been able to talk about it? It happened, why can't I just move on now?

It should be simple.

Maybe it's not so simple.

I drop my arms and bow my head because I still can't even bare to think about everything. I hate that there is this part of me that I try to actively ignore; a part of me that causes me to be damaged goods. Skylar is definitely not that part. Skylar is perfect and I could never blame her for any of this. It's the part after Skylar was created that troubles me the most.

It's pathetic, but the date rape part of the story is the easiest to tell. Sure, I don't like to think about the fact that someone drugged me and then I lost my virginity to the jerk that egged me, but it's not the worst part of this story. That was just some random ass that didn't know me drugging me, and then a drunken ass just happy to get lucky. Neither of those people cared about me, neither of them meant anything to me. My dads on the other hand meant the world to me. They were supposed to listen to my problems and help me; I never imagined that my parents would kick me out. Yet they did. The two men that I trusted more than anyone in the world, really the only two people I ever truly trusted, just disowned me and threw me out like yesterdays trash.

I shake my head of those thoughts. I don't want to think about that right now.

"Where'd you go there?" Santana asks gently as she leans across the center console and wipes the tears off my cheek.

"Just thinking." I answer while continuing to stare at my lap.

"Alright well I have a plan," she says as she lightly cups my chin and turns my head to look at her. "Why don't we get out of the car, get Skylar settled for bed, and then warm up our food. We can lounge on your couch and watch a movie on your gigantic TV while eating." She says with a smile, "I will even watch a musical." She finishes with a wink.

My heart flutters at the wink, but I ignore it with all my might. "That sounds good. But we don't have to watch a musical, I know you hate them."

"Even if I did hate them, you don't, and since we went to breadstix for lunch it's only fair that we watch a musical." She reasons.

I can't help but smile at her, because she is being so thoughtful right now. I am so glad to be getting a chance to see this side of her. My smile quickly fades when I realize that after she finds out the rest of the story she may decide to never show me this side again.

"Hey now, none of that." My brows instantly furrow in confusion.

"I want to see that smile on your face, you're not allowed to tease me with it and then snatch it away like you just did. When you smile, it must stay in place for at least five minutes. New rule." She says matter-of-factly, as if she can just make declarations and expect me to abide by them. The statement alone brings a smile to my face.

"You totally cannot make up your own rules in my home!" I play chastise.

"Oh, I think I just did," she says as she opens up her door. Before she closes the door she leans back down and winks at me.

I sit flustered in the car for a second before Skylar's cries bring me out of it. I am actually surprised she has sat back there for so long without crying. Usually the minute the car stops she wants out. I can vaguely hear Santana cackling outside of the car as well. She totally did that on purpose.

I quickly climb out of the car and move to get Skylar out. After I have the car seat detached from the base I pick the seat up and close the door. I quickly throw my keys to Santana so she can open the door.

Skylar is still whining in her chair, and I can see from her heavy eyelids that she is exhausted.

"Ok, so I have been patiently waiting, but I'm done being patient now. I wants to hold the baby and I wants to hold her now. If you try to stop me I will ends you." Santana says while pulling out her 'gangster' talk. It sends me into a fit off giggles.

It takes me a few moments to compose myself as I set the car seat down on the floor in the hallway. I bend down and make quick work of the straps holding the baby securely in.

"You are more than welcome to try and hold her, but I guarantee that she won't let you. She is tired and she just wants her nightly milk and to go to bed," I explain, but Santana doesn't seem to care. She steps forward and puts her arms out for me to place the baby in.

"I can feed her, her 'nightly milk,'" She says as though she knows what she's talking about. I again start to giggle because we had already gone over this in the hospital.

"Unless you just recently also had a baby… I don't think your going to be any help in that department." I giggle out, much less embarrassed about talking to Santana about breastfeeding since I have done it twice before and she hasn't even made a comment about it.

Santana turns bright red. It's nice to be the one to make her blush for once. She continues her steps towards me with her arms out.

"Well-ah- I guess you can be responsible for that part then, but I want to help get her changed and stuff. So gives me that baby." I just roll my eyes at her. It's her funeral.

When I hand Skylar off to the Latina, I expect instant tears to spring to my little princess's eyes. Instead the infant looks up at the cheerleader, turns her head to look at me, and then looks back up at Santana. After a few more rotations of this, Skylar lets out a little whine. I step forward to take her, but instead of crying Skylar just snuggles further into Santana and continues to whine.

I'm stunned. I just stand there and stare at the little girl in the Latina's arms. Against my will tears well up in my eyes. I know it's probably a good thing that Skylar seems to have taken to Santana so easily, but it doesn't make it hurt any less that she is willingly taking comfort in someone else when I am standing right here. I quickly turn away from the pair so that Santana can't see the tears.

I must have been too late because a second later I feel Santana put her hand on my shoulder and rub comfortingly.

"She's not replacing you Rae. She probably figures that if you handed her off to me that it's ok for her to trust me. This is a good thing Rachel, I know it doesn't seem like it to you right now, but it is. I know it can't be easy for her to trust people; she needs people she can trust in her life other than you Rae." I know she is just trying to calm me down, but it really isn't working.

"How is it a good thing that she is learning to trust you when you may be gone in a few days? How is it ok that she is getting attached to someone who is most likely not going to be here for very long? That doesn't sound like a good thing to me. It sounds to me like she is going to get hurt and confused and like she is going to turn even more inwards! It sounds to me like after you leave she is going to have an even harder time trusting people!"

Tears are now cascading down my face and Skylar is starting to cry because I'm upset. She is wiggling in Santana's arms and reaching out for me. I quickly grab her from the stunned Latina's arms and hold her close to me as I turn away to face the wall again.

"She's an infant Rachel. She is not capable of feeling three quarters of that, so why don't you tell me what we're really talking about here."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ok, lets start from the beginning. Why do you think I'm going to leave you Rae?" She asks softly.

I quickly turn on my heels and face her. "Why _wouldn't_ you leave!Everyone else has!" I scream at her. My yelling only serves to upset Skylar more. "It only makes sense that once you find out how damaged I am that you'll leave too. I mean for god sakes, my dads didn't even want to be around me! They spent a ton of money to have me and once they saw how much of a fuck up I am they couldn't get away fast enough. Once they saw that I was no longer their perfect daughter, I was kicked out faster than I could hit a high 'd'. So please Santana tell me, why do you think you are going to want to stay when even my parents didn't want to?" By the end of my rant my voice is coming out more of a hoarse whisper.

"Because I l-. Because I want to be here, I already know the first half of it Rae and I haven't gone anywhere. I am not going to leave you no matter what you tell me. I don't know how to get you to understand that."

Something about the desperateness in her voice makes me break down. I fall to my knees while still holding Skylar securely to my chest. Before I even hit the ground, Santana has me in her arms. She falls to the ground with me and cradles me, and by extension, Skylar in her arms. My face falls into the crook of her neck and I continue to cry.

We sit there for about five minutes rocking back and forth while I try to control my tears. When I finally feel like I have enough control of my emotions, I pick my head off of Santana's shoulder and look down at the child in my arms. She is looking up at me with furrowed brows as if trying to comprehend what was going on.

Yet again, I failed to make my child feel secure in her surroundings. She was just getting to trust Santana, and I probably just forced her to take two steps back again, all because she was taking comfort in someone else. I don't even know how we got here.

I try to smile down at the infant to ease her worry but her brows just creases more. I lean down and kiss her forehead. "Mommy's sorry for worrying you baby, everything's ok." I murmur to the baby.

"Why don't we get her to bed." Santana says in a low voice. I just nod my assent.

I feel the Latina disentangle herself from my back and stand up, a second later I feel her hands go under my arm as she boosts me up also. Without another word, she grabs my hand that's not holding Skylar and starts to pull me upstairs. I halt our motion when I figure out where she's taking us.

"I need to feed her anyway, so why don't I just go get her ready for bed and feed her, and I'll meet you back down here."

"But I wanted to help put her to bed" Santana says with a slight pout.

"Ok well how about I feed her and you wait down here then you can come up when I put her in her crib." I offer.

"Alright. That sounds acceptable." I can't help but giggle, despite the fact I was sobbing only a minute ago, because she sounded like me just then.

"Yea, I know. I heard it too." She says with a grimace. "But if that is the price to pay for getting to hang out with you and Sky, I'd gladly pay it."

This time my giggle becomes watery as tears flood my eyes again, this time happy tears.

"Oh my god," I gasp in exasperated I tilt my head back trying to stem the tears before they fall "I feel like I'm pregnant again, my emotions are so erratic today!" I giggle out as I head up the stairs.

"Come up in about ten minutes. She'll be asleep after the feeding and if I have to call down to you she will definitely wake up." I instruct before disappearing upstairs out of her line of sight.

**Santana's POV**

This day has not turned out at all like I thought it would. That's not to say that it turned out badly, just really unexpected. Who knew when I found out about Skylar that she was just the tip of the iceberg? Underneath the water there is a ton more baggage hiding. So much baggage it seems to be dragging Rachel under too. At this stage Rachel is just floundering trying to keep her head above water, to keep from drowning.

I understand that is why she is trying to push me away. Because if I leave her too it will just add another piece of baggage dragging her down, except it may be the piece that makes her unable to reach the surface again.

But I don't plan on leaving. Ever. I just don't know how to show her that. Her fathers leaving really fucked with her head, I don't even know the whole story but I can see that. It honestly seems like she believes that if her stupid parents don't want to be around her, no one else will want to either. I shake my head at the thought because she couldn't have been more wrong. I want nothing more than to stay with her and Skylar forever.

I finally look at the clock and see that my ten minutes were up. I quickly jump off of the couch and make my way upstairs. When I get to the top of the stairs I realize I don't know which room they are in. I look down the hallway and realize that there are only three doors, and one is opened to show a bathroom. One of the other doors is a single door while the other is a double door. I assume that Rachel would be in the master bedroom making the other door the nursery.

I am about to walk to what I am assuming is Skylar's room, but when I pass the master bedroom I hear faint singing coming from inside. I stop dead in my tracks and listen for a moment, because this is the first time I've heard Rachel sing in almost a year.

After a moment though I decide to knock because I don't want to seem creepy if for some reason Rachel opens the door and sees me. When I hear Rachel say that she is decent and that I can come in, I walk into the room.

Rachel's room is nothing like what I expected. Her walls are light beige except for an accent wall, which is a chocolate brown color. Her comforter is a pale yellow color and there are no stars anywhere. There is a musical poster here and there, but they are all in frames making it look more classy than any other teen's room I've ever saw.

"What?" Rachel finally asks after I'm quite for so long.

"Sorry, I just didn't expect your room to look like this. No offense, but I expected it to be more… obnoxious." She just lets out a huff in response.

"I didn't change her before she went to sleep because she kept grabbing at my boob, so she needs to be changed. Do you want to help?" She lost me at 'grabbing at my boob' I mean come on, I may be trying to change, but I _am_ still Santana Lopez.

After I process the rest of her question I eagerly nod my head. The few moments I was able to hold Skylar earlier were awesome. She is so soft and snuggly. When she burrowed into my chest I felt so at peace with everything, only Rachel's tears were able to bring me out of it. Holding her just felt so right.

I follow Rachel down the hall a little bit and into the room that I had correctly appointed Sky's room. The second she opened the door I lost it. I literally fell to the ground laughing.

"If you wake her up with your cackling I will kill you," Rachel says with a soft kick to my leg. I can tell that she is smiling even though I can't see her because I literally have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard.

After taking a few seconds to compose myself, I sit up. One look around the hot pink walls with gold stars painted on top, I start to giggle again. I can picture the walls filled with Broadway posters and playbills, and the thought causes me to fall onto my back again and let the giggles take over again.

"This was" deep breath "totally" loud cackle "your room" deep breath "before you left!" I seriously can't control myself right now, because this is _exactly_ what I expected before.

"Shut up." She says and I can tell that she is pouting.

I finally allow myself to calm down for good now, and get back up on my feet. Rachel just looks at me and rolls her eyes, but the pout stays in place.

"Yes ok, this is my old room, I don't know why you would assume that I would have stayed in the master suite when my dads were still here." Even though I am teasing her, she is taking it in stride and luckily has a smile on her face as she looks around the room.

"For the record though, I didn't decorate this room, my dads had an interior decorator come in and do both my room and theirs while I was at camp one summer. I had no say in how it came out."

"You totally used to love it though." I say knowingly

She lowers her head shyly, "Ok maybe I did before, but not anymore. I wish that I could redo it for Skylar actually, but I can't do it alone and I don't really have the time." She says looking around the room again "I would like to get furniture for her rather than having to use my old stuff. And I definitely want to get rid of this ridiculous wall color." She says as she rolls her eyes.

"Why don't I help you then. We can plan it out tomorrow, and maybe even start to paint tomorrow. Skylar can stay in your room during the renovations." I say getting excited. I am a sucker for a redecoration.

"Santana we have school tomorrow." She says as she places the infant in my arms. My excitement about the thought of redecorating immediately takes a back seat to admiring the baby in my arms.

"Oh come on Rae, it's ten o'clock and we still haven't watched the movie. Plus we both had a really emotionally exhausting day today. We can use a day off. Just think of all we can get done in here! We can even start to shop and stuff." I say giving her my best puppy-dog face. "Skylar you would love to have a new room wouldn't you." I say looking down at the baby in my arms.

"Ok, ok, fine we can skip, but if I get behind in any of my classes I am blaming you." She says with a giggle. "It will be nice to finally get the room redecorated." She finishes as she bends down and then pulls out a onesie for Skylar to wear to bed.

After she stands back up, she leans down next to the dresser and reappears with a diaper in her hands. She then reaches to grab the baby from me. I quickly hold the baby tighter and step away from her, letting out a playful growl, which quickly turns into a giggle.

"You're telling me that you want to change her diaper?" she says to me. I think about it for a second but before I can answer she continues "And that you are going to be able to put the diaper on her and change her clothes without waking her up?" I bow my head in defeat and gently place the baby in her mother's arms.

"That's what I thought." Rachel teases.

I stand watching in amazement as Rachel makes quick work of the dirty diaper and apply cream to the baby's slightly red bottom. She then continues to place a new diaper on the infant and put the new onesie on without the baby even stirring.

"Impressive."

"Thanks, it took a lot of practice." She explains with a giggle as she walks the baby over to the crib.

"Goodnight princess." She leans down and places three kisses on the littlest brunettes face, one on each of her cheeks and the last on her forehead. I smile at the sight because I have seen her do this before.

After she steps aside I step up to the crib and lean down and kiss the baby's belly, "goodnight beautiful princess."

After I stand up straight again, Rachel raises the bars to the crib and walks out of the room. I follow behind her and hit the lights on my way out.

As we make our way downstairs I take the time to really look around Rachel's house. Most of the walls are completely bare but it was still possible to see the outline of where pictures used to be. It makes me sick that a parent could actually do something like this to their daughter.

As I continue to search for any form of prior life around the house I remember the posters that were on Rachel's walls. "Why did your fathers leave the posters on the wall in your room?"

"They didn't. They had packed up my entire room when I left. I found all of my stuff in the basement when I moved back, and brought some of it back up." She says without turning to me.

I can tell that she is getting emotional again and is either trying to hide it or trying to make it go away, so I decide to quickly change the subject.

"So what musical are we watching tonight?"

"How about 'Rent' or 'West Side Story'."

"Both good choices, I always thought that you looked like that Maureen girl in Rent, is that strange?"

She lets out a little giggle and a huge smile. "No, I always thought so too. When I was little, I used to imagine that she was my mom." Her smile turns into a frown. I assume that she is thinking about Shelby.

"You broke the rule!" I say eliciting a giggle from her. "I need to make up a consequence for when you break my rules. Hmm…" I tap my chin as if I am thinking really hard.

"You cannot make up rules _and _punishments for my own house!" She complains as she continues to giggle.

"Oh, but I can. I say that every time you break a rule you must transfer two minutes of Skylar-Snuggle time to me. So that means tomorrow I get at least four minutes of SST," I say with a cheeky grin.

"What? How did I already give up four minutes? The two times before you made the rule totally do not count!"

"And what if Skylar doesn't want 'SST' with you" She says with an exaggerated eye roll.

"Why wouldn't she want to snuggle with Auntie Snix? I give the best snuggles around," I say seriously though my smile is giving me away.

"Oh I don't know about that, my snuggles are pretty freaking awesome." She adopts a serious expression, which keeps faltering as she tries to keep in her smile.

"Oh yea? Prove it to me." I challenge getting right up in her face. I have no idea how this conversation turned into this, but right now I'm not complaining. Or maybe I am because it is really hard not to kiss her right now but I know that I can't.

What am I doing? I need to make her trust that I am going to stick around because I care about her, not because I want to get into her pants.

I quickly back away from her and move over to where her movies are stacked. I pull out 'Rent' and place it in the DVD player. I then quickly move over to the couch and sit next to one of the arms.

"I'm going to go warm up our food, don't put it on until I get back." She says as if nothing happened.

When she gets back with our food, we eat in silence while watching the movie. By the time Mimi is assaulting Roger and 'trying to get her candle lit', both of us are finished eating. I grab Rachel's plate from her and place it on the coffee table along with mine. As soon as I lean back Rachel is pressed to my side with her head on my shoulder.

"Wha-what are you doing," I stutter out.

"Showing you that I'm the best cuddler." She says coolly as she snuggles further into my side.

Her statement brings a huge smile to my face as I wrap my arm around her and hold her close. It's ok if she initiates it right?

We continue to watch the movie cuddled up to one another. When 'La Vie Boheme' starts to play I hear soft snores coming from the diva. I smile softly at her and just watch her sleep for a few moments before standing up still cradling her in my arms. I thank god for the Cheerios right about now, because there is no way I would have been able to do that otherwise. As soon as I am standing up with the petite brunette securely in my arms, Rachel wraps her arms around my shoulder and neck, still sound asleep.

When I finally get her upstairs and into her room, I lay her on the bed and slip off her shoes. I then lift up the covers so that I can get her under the blankets. Before I can get her under them though, her eyes flutter open and she grabs a hold of my arm.

"You can sleep here if you want. The guest room doesn't have any room in it right now" She says sleepily.

"Ok, let me just go get changed. Since you're awake, you may want to get changed also."

She just nods as she stumbles off of her bed and into her walk in closet. I quickly go downstairs and grab my bag that I brought. I found a bathroom downstairs and made quick work of getting changed.

When I get back to Rachel's room I see her sitting up with her back against the headboard.

"You didn't have to wait for me."

"I wanted to see if you would have left." She said looking down at her hands, before climbing under the covers facing the wall.

"I'm not going anywhere I swear." I promise before climbing into the bed also.

We are lying on completely opposite sides of her bed. I am just starting at the ceiling thinking about everything that happened today; everything that I found out, and everything I still hadn't.

I hear Rachel snoring start up again. I move to look at her and just smile at her sleeping form. We had made progress today, even though she was still terrified about something in her past and about my leaving.

I look back up to the ceiling and try and think of ways to get her to trust me. I don't even notice that she starts to shuffle around next to me; I'm too caught up in my own mind. When her head lands on my shoulder however, I am instantly brought back to the real world. I look down and see that she is still sleeping soundly. I beam down at her.

I maneuver us so that my arms are wrapped around her and quickly follow her into dreamland.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading guys! please look at the poll on my page, I have been getting a lot of mixed reviews about Jesse and I want to get overall view of how you all feel :)<strong>

**Please review.. they make my day!**


	8. Chapter 8

**OMG you guys are amazing! I cant believe how awesome you all are! This fic already has over 150 reviews! Im speechless! Thank you all so much! Thanks to everyone who also put this story on alert and favorite!**

**So this entire chapter is Rachel's POV, and its a longer chapter at that. After having the baby daddy unveiling in Santana's POV, I wanted to let you guys see this part through Rachel's eyes. With that being said.. this is very Rachel heavy.. Probably about a quarter of this is just Rachel speaking.. I hope you guys dont mind. I couldn't think of any other way to do it. There is still Pezberry cuteness though :)**

**There is a trigger warning in this chapter. If you are worried about being triggered, please skip all of Rachel's monologue.. you can start reading again when the flashback begins.. If you do and still want a summary of what was said send me a PM and Ill be happy to help. **

**Flashback is in italics just like before :)**

**Thanks to my beta GE0309, she is definitely partially responsible for the quick updates.. If she wasn't getting back to me so quickly, I couldn't get back to you guys!**

**LMAO sorry about uploading the wrong chapter the first time!**

**Disclaimer: Glee is not mine.. Finchel makes that clear..**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 8<strong>_

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

When I start to drift back into consciousness the next morning, I feel like I've slept better than I have in over a year. I feel completely warm and for some reason safe. I really don't want to move or even open my eyes, but I need to figure out what time it is in order to estimate how long I have until Skylar wakes up.

Apparently not long enough, since I can hear Skylar starting to whimper through the baby monitor. Without opening my eyes I move to sit up so I can stretch, for some reason though I cannot get up.

My eyes pop open when I become conscious of the fact that I am laying on something other than the bed. Sure enough I am snuggled so far into Santana's side that I am partially on top of her, and she has her arms locked around me. This is not how I foresaw myself waking up this morning.

I try to slyly unlatch the Latina's hands so I can slip out of her grasp, but the minute I try to pull her hands apart the Latina groans and holds onto me tighter.

"Nuh-uh, sleep time." She mumbles tiredly, still not even halfway awake.

I can't help but giggle, but I fight against my instincts to snuggle further into her embrace. "San, Skylar is waking up, I need to go get her." I explain. While trying to get out of her grasp again.

With a huff she lets go of me, but when I sit up she pushes me back down to lie down. "Don't move," she orders still not fully awake as she shuffles towards the door.

"Why?"

"Because you were right, your an amazing snuggler." She sleepily answers as she disappears through the door.

I just stare at the door she left through confused for a second before moving to get up to get Skylar. Just as my feet were about to hit the floor I hear the door to Sky's room open through the baby monitor.

Sky stops whimpering for a second and then starts to giggle. "Good morning pretty girl," I hear Santana address the baby, "How did you sleep? Probably not as good as I did. No." I can hear Sky let out a squeal and giggle, and I assume that the Latina is tickling her.

I move to get out of bed, but am again stopped by what I hear through the baby monitor. "Can you tell mommy that if her feet touch the floor before we get back to her, that we are both going to be _very_ mad at her? Can you tell her that for us, princesa?" A smile spreads across my face as the infant starts to babble in response to Santana.

The next thing I know, Santana is coming back through the door with a smiling Skylar on her hip. Without a word she closes the door and climbs back into bed. She simply lies down and places the infant next to her. She then puts her hand on the baby's stomach and closes her eyes again. Skylar looks at her with her brows furrowed and then up at me with a huge smile on her face.

"What are you doing goof?" I ask Santana as I lightly shove her shoulders.

"Going back to bed and snuggling Skylar. Win-win!"

I let out a laugh because totally not a win-win when the littlest occupant of the bed figures out that she is expected to go back to sleep.

"Come on Rae, lay down and go back to sleep. Part of the beauty of skipping is sleeping in." She informs me.

Before making a move, I look down at Skylar and see that she is playing with her hands and feet quietly babbling to herself. I decide that since she doesn't look upset about the arrangement yet, I should teach Santana a little lesson in Skylar 101. She only sleeps on her terms. With that though in mind, I lay down next to the baby and closed my eyes.

When I peek my eye open a centimeter a second later, Skylar is staring at me with her brows furrowed, like she had been doing when Santana closed her eyes. She then turned her head to the other side to look at Santana. Once she had processed what was happening, she started to whimper lightly. As if on instinct Santana started to move her hand on the baby's stomach trying to sooth her. Skylar didn't find this proficient attention and quickly started to cry louder. Her cries kept rising in volume until she was basically screaming.

I had to stifle my laugh as Santana popped up and picked up the baby, cradling her to her chest frantically. "What's wrong with her?" Santana asks wildly.

I finally let out a laugh and sit up as Skylar instantly stops crying and instead stares up at Santana smiling. However as soon as I sat up Skylar was done with the Latina and moved her arms to ask me to hold her. I oblige and bring her to sit on my lap.

"What was that?" Santana asks exasperated. "She was fine, then she was screaming, and now she's fine again?"

The look on the cheerleader's face makes me start giggling. She just seems so confused. I decide to put her out of her misery and explain. "She was simply telling you, well us, that she is up and plans to stay that way." I tickle the infant's side eliciting a giggle from her. "She's not like a little kid, when she wakes up she needs to be changed and to be fed, San," I explain to her and she bows her head looking shameful.

I don't mean for it to come out like a mini-lecture, it's really not her responsibility to learn how to care for my kid.

"But I did change her," she mutters out.

I let out a sigh, because I never meant to hurt her feelings. "I'm sorry Santana, I shouldn't have called you out like that. Thank you for getting up and getting her, and for changing her diaper. You really didn't need to. Why don't you go back to sleep and I'll go get her fed and ready for the day. When you wake up again, we can plan out our day," I offer with a sheepish smile. I feel so guilty for making upsetting her.

"No I'm up now. I'll help you in whatever way you need. I am assuming that I still can't help to feed her," she smirks wickedly. "But is there anything else I can do?"

"San, really I can handle her, go back to sleep," I tell her as I climb off the bed with Sky in my arms.

"No. Rae I told you I wanted to help you, and this is part of that. I am not going to take no for an answer, so tell me what you want me to do."

"Fine, if you insist, why don't you go down and sort out some kind of breakfast for the two of us, and I will get this little munchkin fed and dressed."

"I accept those terms," she says with a wide smile.

She climbs off her side of the bed and walks over to where I'm standing holding the baby. She quickly leans down slightly and places a kiss on Skylar's cheek before heading towards the door with a little bounce in her step. I can only shake my head and chuckle at her antics.

I quickly feed Skylar, put her eardrops in, and get her dressed before taking her temperature again to check up on the ear infection. I am excessively happy when I see that her fever has dropped down to 99.8. I know that it's still a fever, but at least it's going down.

When we get downstairs, I place Skylar in her bouncer and put one of her movies on for her to watch. I then quickly make my way into the kitchen to find Santana. Just as I step into the kitchen to find Santana flipping pancakes, the doorbell rings and I quickly turn on my heels and head towards the front door.

My eyes widen when I see Barbara standing on the other side of the door. I completely forgot to call her and tell her I didn't need her to come over today.

"Is that what your wearing to school today?" Barb asks while looking down at my outfit, "Is it pajama day or something? Even so, you should probably do your hair still."

I stifle a laugh. "What do you mean? I spent 45 minutes on my hair this morning. I thought it looked nice," I say while feigning hurt.

"Oh dear, I hate to tell you this, but you should probably go spend a few more minutes on it. It looks as if Skylar has been pulling at it," she says with a chuckle.

I finally let go of my laughter. "I am actually not going to school today, I just woke up, hence the appearance. I really meant to call, but we didn't decide to skip until late last night and then this morning I was just worried about getting Skylar fed and stuff," I look at her apologetically.

"And why aren't you going to school? If it is because of Skylar's illness, there is no need for you to stay home, I am more than capable of taking care of her."

"Last night was kind of a whirlwind of emotions and I think I need the day to process and move on from them. Plus I am finally going to get Skylar's room redone."

"Was is because of that cheerleading girl that came here yesterday? Did she cause you any trouble? I thought she was trying to help."

"Oh she is. She's helping tremendously, but talking about my past still hurts and I think that she needs to know, so well, yea," I explain.

"Alright, well why don't I still stick around, that way you and this girl can make plans for the princess's room and go out and shop or whatever you need to do, without having to bring the baby."

"That would be great actually, you sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all, especially if there are enough pancakes to go around." She says with a chuckle as she sniffs at the air.

"I'm sure there is, it looked like she was making enough for an army. Come on in." I realize that I have had her standing on the porch this entire time.

As we walk into the kitchen, I tell her about Skylar's doctor's appointment and explain to her that her eardrops will have to go in again around lunchtime. Once we get into the kitchen, though, tension fills the air as Barb and Santana have a stand off. Luckily it doesn't last long and Santana gives in and hands the older woman a stack of pancakes.

We ate breakfast in comfortable conversation. We mostly talked about what we each thought should be incorporated into Skylar's new room and what color we should paint the walls.

The rest of the planning went pretty smoothly. By mid-afternoon we managed to get all of the furniture and paint picked out and even prepped the room to be painted. We decided that it would be best if we at least got the primer on the wall today that way I don't have to have Skylar sleeping in my room for too long.

We have been painting for about twenty minutes just talking idly. Everything is going well, until I feel something roll from the nape of my neck down to my lower back. I quickly turn around in shock to see the smirking Latina holding her paint roller behind her back. I openly gape at her for almost a full minute.

"You are _so _going to regret that."

"I don't know, I think anything you do will be worth the look on your face." She says while doubling over laughing.

I use the opportunity to stick my hands in the open paint can and grab a whole bunch of paint. I easily walk up to her, since she is paying no attention to me, and squeeze my hands over her head. The paint oozes from my hands and lands squarely on the back of her head. She instantly stops laughing.

"You did _not _just pour paint in my weave." She says slowly.

I instantly stiffen, thinking that I took this too far, and that she is going to be honestly pissed off about this. Luckily she stands up fully and I can see that she is trying to hold back a smile and I am able to relax and start to giggle.

"You've got some balls, tiny. But this means war now." Her patented smirk fills her face. My giggle immediately stops, and my face morphs into one of horror.

"Wait. No. We both got each other, so were even. No need to make it a bigger deal than it is." It doesn't seem like she's listening to me though because she is advancing on me like a lioness to the pray.

"Santana, please! Think about Skylar, she just wants to see her room all nice and pretty, but if we partake in a paint war, it's only going to take longer. Plus we will probably mess up her room." I try and reason. I know it's a low blow to use my kid as an excuse, but right now I don't care.

"Wow, using the baby as leverage; didn't think you would stoop so low, Berry." She says with a shake of the head and chuckle.

I just shrug, "Girl needs to use everything in her arsenal." I say as I step forward and put my hands on both cheeks with a smile, effectively leaving handprints painted onto her cheeks.

"Wow for someone who wants to call a truce, you're walking a thin line."

"I just wanted to leave my mark on you," I joke with a fake pout.

"Yea, yea, I'll let you get away with it this once, but next time…" She leaves the threat open, but I know that she wouldn't do anything serious. I just giggle at her and nod my head.

Just then, Santana's phone lights up and starts playing 'Butterfly Kisses'.

"Hey, it's my dad, I need to take this." She explains as she walks out of the room, into the hallway.

It's not like I'm trying to eavesdrop, but she doesn't even close the door, so it was hard not to hear what was going on.

"Hola Papi… Si, we're having a really good day… Are you serious? ... No, no it's ok, I understand… Papi don't worry about it it's fine… I can see, but I'm not just going to invite myself over, that's kind of rude… Sure Papi, I'll ask… Ok, I'll text you... I love you too Papi… Have a good night at work, see you tomorrow."

After hanging up the phone she makes her way back in the room, and I quickly try to act as if I had been working the entire time instead of listening in on her conversation. I dip my roller in the paint carelessly and quickly start rolling the paint on the wall haphazardly, while averting my eyes.

"Weren't you just working on that part of the wall before I left?" She asks and without looking I can tell that she is smiling.

"Just being attentive, need to make sure none of this pink shows through." I answer quickly.

"Uh-huh, so you _weren't _listening to my phone conversation then?" She asks and I finally look over to her and see an amused smirk playing on her lips.

"Whatever, what did he have to say?" I respond with an eye roll.

"He got called onto a case, and he probably won't be home tonight. He was actually wondering if it would be possible for me to stay here tonight. He doesn't like leaving me alone throughout the night. He rarely allows his surgeries during the night but sometimes it's unavoidable." She explains.

Hearing all about how doting her father is on her, quickly reminds me of how my fathers used to be, and no longer are. I look back to the wall when I feel tears sting my eyes again, and just nod my head to let her know it's ok for her to stay over.

After a second, I feel confident that my voice won't fail me and I finally give her a verbal answer. "Yes, that's fine." I state simply.

I can feel her staring at me. I know that she knows that something is wrong, but she doesn't know whether she should bring attention to it. I spare a quick glance at her and shake my head the tiniest bit, telling her that I don't want to talk about it right now. I see her nod her head in understanding and start texting on her phone. I assume that she is texting her father like instructed. After pocketing her phone she walks over to the paint tin next to me and picks her roller back up. She quickly gives my arm a reassuring squeeze before she walks over to the other side of the wall, where she was working.

We work in an awkward silence for about five minutes, but I don't really notice. I am completely lost in my own head.

Before I even realize I'm talking, words start to flow from my mouth. "We used to be so happy, or at least they were so happy, and I was able to pretend to be. They used to give me anything I wanted; nothing was too big. Of course, I never really asked for too much, I just went along with whatever they said. It was their idea for me to be on Broadway. Even though I fell in love with the idea immediately, it was completely their idea. They signed me up for all the dance classes, singing lessons, piano lessons, any type of class that could further 'my dream'. I was fine with all that, it made them even happier, and so I grew happy to do it all. Eventually I started to love my classes and lessons and their dream, and I started to work harder for it. Of course that started segregating me from my peers though. I was just so focused on the dream that I became obnoxious about it. No one wanted to hang out with 'that' girl." I continue to paint as if we were just talking about the weather, but at the same time, I'm in a complete daze, painting more on muscle memory than actually consciously doing it.

"None of that mattered, I didn't need friends, and I had my dads. They were everything I needed. Sure I would have liked to have friends. Would have liked to have people my own age come to my birthday parties, but as long as my dads were with me celebrating, I could act like I didn't care." I turn around and dip the roller in the paint still refusing Santana eye contact.

"I think that's what made it all so much harder, you know? That they helped to ostracize me, then abandoned me, to be an outcast alone." I resume painting the wall, still acting like this story is not effecting me. It's easier to do when I have something else to focus on.

"When I found out I was pregnant, I was terrified. But ironically, not about telling my parents, I was afraid of people at school finding out. I didn't want what happened to Quinn to happen to me. Especially since Quinn once told me that if the roles were reversed she would make my life hell." I just shake my head remembering how much of a bitch Quinn truly is.

"I calmly sat them down a week after I figured it out and explained to them that I was pregnant. I left out the fact that I was drugged and therefore don't remember anything about how it happened except that I woke up the next morning naked. They didn't need to know that, that would only upset them more." I let out a sardonic chuckle. I was trying to spare them, to protect them, while they did nothing to protect me.

"They flipped. They both started screaming at me, asking how I could have done that. They kept asking how I could be such a disappointment after all they'd done for me. They asked who the father was, but I was so shocked that I never answered. They assumed it was because I didn't know. My daddy grabbed my arm and yanked me off of the couch, while my dad disappeared from the room. Next thing I know my daddy took off his belt and had started to hit me with it. They had _never_ laid a hand on me before; I had barely ever been punished before, yet here I was being beat with a belt. All I could keep repeating was 'I'm sorry'.

"After about six lashings my daddy stopped and pushed me away from him. I stumbled and nearly fell into my dad. Once I caught my balance, my dad just shoved a duffle bag into my arms with a stern 'get out'. I just stared at him, completely shocked and confused. I couldn't figure out what was happening, that wasn't supposed to be the outcome. They were supposed to be supportive."

I only realize I'm crying because the wall I'm painting becomes blurry. I finally give up with painting and drop the roller in the paint. I drop down to my knees next to the container and start to cry harder, even though I am trying to stem the tears, so I can finish the story. I feel myself being lifted and the next thing I know, I am sitting on Santana's lap as she rocks me back and forth. I kind of forgot she was even there, she hadn't said anything since I started talking. She still doesn't say anything, she just holds me.

"I tried pleading with them, asking where I was supposed to go. They didn't even seem phased that they were pushing me out to live on the streets. I just kept crying and refusing to leave, even as my daddy tried to push me out of the house. Finally my dad threw a piece of paper at me and physically picked me up and dropped me on the lawn outside. I could only stare at the place that I thought of as my home as my dads closed to door on me.

"After sitting there for god knows how long, I finally looked at the paper in my hands. It had a phone number on it and said 'Aunt Sarah'. I took out my cell phone and called the number, it was my only option, and I had no choice. My aunt reluctantly allowed me to stay with her, so I grabbed my duffle bag and drove my car towards Pittsburgh."

I let out a sob, remembering all of this was physically and emotionally painful, but it oddly felt good to get out. I had never talked about any of this before now. No one knew the whole story, actually no one know even half of the story. Santana was the only one.

She still hasn't talked; I think she is letting me get it all out at my own pace. The only indication that she is even listening is when her arms tighten around me whenever a particularly bad part is told. I cannot explain how grateful I am of her right now.

"Pittsburgh started out ok. I stayed out of my aunt and uncle's way as much as possible. I pretty much just went to school, stayed out for as long as possible then went back to their house to sleep. Everything was fine until my uncle came home drunk one night. He started freaking out about how my aunt took 'the little slut' in without even talking to him about it. He started to yell at her saying that me being here was ruining their marriage. They fought for a while and then he came into my room and blamed me for the fight. I tried to say it wasn't me, but he didn't care, he was drunk and upset. He slapped me across the face and told me I was worthless, he told me that it was no wonder the 'baby daddy' left me, he probably didn't want to be pulled down by 'some slut and her spawn'. He punched me in the face when I finally started to scream back at him. "

I had to stop for a few minutes to regain my composure again, this was harder than I expected. Santana just kept rocking me and started to try to calm me down by whispering a soft 'Shh' in my ear. It took another ten minutes to be ready to speak again. I am almost done. I can do this. I can finish.

"My aunt brought in ice after he had left and apologized for him, but after that I spent even less time at the house. I didn't want to risk something happening to the baby. Whenever I was there I made sure to lock my door. Luckily nothing happened after that day. They both kind of just left me alone and I went back to being invisible.

"When I went into labor, my aunt and uncle didn't even come to the hospital with me. I had planned on giving the baby up, I didn't want to keep her if I didn't even have a home, but when I held her in my arms, everything changed. She was perfect, still is, but when I first held her, I knew that I couldn't give her up. I didn't know what to do though, I wanted the best life for her possible."

I had almost completely stopped crying at this point. My breath kept hitching in my chest as I tried to completely calm down again, but besides that I was fine.

"I was shocked when I woke up the next morning and saw my dad standing over the hospital bassinette holding Skylar."

_Rachel just stared at her dad, fearing that he was going to take Skylar away from her. She didn't even know if he had the power to, but she was afraid regardless._

"_What are you doing here?" She asked once finally she found her voice._

_Leroy looked over to her but didn't say anything; he just looked back down at his new granddaughter. _

"_Are you going to answer me? Why are you here? You made it perfectly clear that I wasn't your family, so why did you come here?" She didn't want to let herself become hopeful that he was going to take her home, her defense mechanisms immediately flared up._

"_Who is the father Rachel?" was all he said while still looking down at the newborn._

"_I don't know," She lied. She didn't know why she lied, but she felt like it was the right thing to do. _

"_How do you not know?" He raised her voice, and she shrunk back into the bed more. _

"_We did not raise you to just sleep around. That is not you, so please tell me how you don't know." He said with a more level voice. _

_Even though she had always called Hiram 'daddy', she and Leroy had always had a special bond. She always went to him when she was hurt and needed comforting, and he was always willing to help. _

"_It happened at the party, you and daddy were _so _excited for me to go. I didn't even drink, but somehow I woke up without remembering what happened the night before. I woke up naked, alone, and sore." She told him, purposefully leaving out the Jesse part of the story._

_He still hadn't looked back to her, but he wasn't looking at the baby anymore either. He was just staring at the wall with a pained look on his face. _

"_You can move back into the house the week before the school year starts." He said simply._

_Happiness welled up inside of Rachel. She was finally going to get to go home to her family. She was going to have her dads back again. She could keep Skylar, and they would be a happy family again. She couldn't think of anything better. The past didn't matter anymore, as long as she was home with her family. _

"_Hiram got a job offer in San Francisco to be head of his department at a hospital there. We move out there two weeks before the school year begins."_

_The brunette's eyebrows instantly furrow in confusion, "I don't understand? Are we moving to California than?" _

"_No Rachel, Hiram and I are moving to California, and you are free to move back into the house in Lima if you wish."_

_He finally met his daughters eyes, "I came here to tell you that we were going to sell the house, and that if you wanted anymore of your stuff to come and get it, but in light of the new information that you have given me, I have decided to allow you to stay at the house. Are you planning on keeping the baby?"_

_She just stared at him again. They were still leaving her, on better terms than before, but regardless she would still not have a family. She looked at the newborn sleeping in the bassinette and realized that she was her family, she was all the family she had left._

"_Yes" was all she answered with._

"_Very well, your father and I will create a bank account for you and make sure that you have enough money to support yourself and the child." He explained as if they were entering into a business deal. _

_Without taking her eyes off her new daughter she just nodded her head in understanding. This was how it was going to be, her fathers would be in California being a family and she and Skylar would be in Lima being their own family. As long as she had Skylar, she would be fine. _

"I haven't heard from either of them since. I have enough money in my bank account to get everything I need and if I need more, I just ask the bank to let them know." I say with a shrug of the shoulder.

"Rae." Santana chokes out, speaking for the first time since I started my story "Rae, I'm _so_ sorry. You did not deserve that. No one deserves that, but especially not you." She says while holding me tighter.

"I'm so messed up, Santana. They fucked with my head so much."

"They are assholes, but you are not messed up. You are _perfect_."

I just scoff at her statement, "You are, Skylar had to get it from somewhere, and she _certainly_ didn't get it from Jesse." She jokes.

I love that she can get me to giggle even when I'm at my worse. She knows what to say to calm me down and when to change the subject. It's like she knows me better than almost anyone else, which is strange since we just became friends.

We stayed in that position, with me on her lap with her arms wrapped around me, for a while. I wasn't even crying anymore, but she just kept holding me, and I wasn't complaining, I felt safe in her arms.

When we finally did get up and finish the primer, we kept the conversation light. I couldn't help but feel like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders now that someone else knew my secret. I felt like I could breath again.

After getting the priming of the entire room finished, we even managed to get the first coat on the wall since Barb offered to stay late so we could get more done. We spent the rest of the night just goofing off and playing with Skylar.

I was currently sitting on my bed with a sleeping Skylar close to me, having fallen asleep while eating. I quickly fix my shirt and lay her on the bed surrounded by pillows so I can get dressed for bed too.

I hear Santana quietly knock at the door and come in before I answer, so that we don't wake up the baby.

"Can she sleep in bed with us tonight? I mean she has to be in the room anyway." She tries.

"No, I don't want to get her used to sleeping with me, I've done pretty good thus far, I don't want to ruin it now. I've read that it is quite hard to reverse the behavior once it's started." I explain. I giggle at the pout on the Latina's face.

"I never get to snuggle her." She whines.

I start laughing even harder at that, "You have barely put her down since we finished the room San."

"Fine, whatever."

She continues to pout as she scoops up the infant and places her in her crib. I smile softly at her as she bends down and kisses the baby's stomach the way she did the night before.

After I see her move away, I make my way over to my daughter. I stand there for a moment and just watch her sleep, before leaning down and placing a kiss on each cheek and one on her forehead.

"Goodnight baby, Mommy loves you so much Princess. You are the best decision I've ever made."

It was true. It hasn't always been easy, but I have never regretted keeping Sky. She has been the best part of my life since the moment she was born.

"Come on," Santana says as she grabs my hand and pulls me towards the bed.

When we climb into bed I don't even hesitate before snuggling close to Santana. I lay in basically the same position that I had woken up in this morning. I just need Santana's comfort right now. I need to prove to myself that I didn't make a mistake in telling Santana everything.

I could tell that it wasn't a mistake the minute she wraps her arms around me and pulls me even closer. The simple gesture helps to solidify that she isn't going anywhere.

I fall asleep feeling lighter and freer than I think I ever have, all thanks to Santana.

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><p><strong>Hope you all liked it :) I know it was kind of heavy at parts, but I tried to make it happy at others.. I wanted to finally get the rest of her story out there so that we can kinda move on from it.. <strong>

**I have also been getting a few people asking about the Pezberry relationship.. I want to make it clear that this is definitely a Pezberry romance fic, but Rachel has a lot of trust and abandonment issues so I need to develop there friendship before I can bring them into a relationship.. Im not saying its going to be in the distant future, but it may still be a little while..**

**For anyone who hasn't done the poll yet I would really appreciate it :) right now there is only 1 vote separating the top two choices.. for the longest time it was completely equal.. one saying no and one saying yes.. not exactly conclusive lol.. Just an FYI if it is decided that Jesse will come back, it wont be for a long time still.. I want to have Pezberry stable before he comes back (if he comes back)**

**Please review! they mean the world to me! **


	9. Chapter 9

**The POV is changed up in this chapter as well. Usually we start off with Rachel's POV but since the last chapter was fully Rachel, I wanted to start with Santana, plus it worked better with my storyline lol..**

**Thank you all for the reviews, alerts and favorites! **

**Want to say a huge thanks to my beta GE0309! She definitely helped so much to make this chapter better! Your the best!**

**Bolded parts are texts :)**

**OMG me and GE0309 totally spent a whole bunch of time changing parts of this and then I didn't save it here! This is the chapter including the changes that we had made! Sorry about that.. This is the second chapter in a row I've messed up! Im all over the place!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I wish I did, but I do not.**

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><p><strong><em><span>Chapter 9<span>_**

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I wake up Thursday morning to a phone ringing right next to my ear. It's not my phone, but it's still annoying enough to force me to wake up and turn it off. As I reach over to get it, Rachel sits up and starts stretching.

"What is this nonsense?" I ask tiredly.

"My alarm, usually it's louder but with the baby in here for now, I needed to lower the volume so it didn't wake her up too."

"Why in Hell do you get up this early?" I groan while trying to pull her back down to snuggle with me again. She however has different plans, and thwarts my advances.

"Because I have an infant who will need to be up, fed, and changed before I leave for school." She says succinctly.

For the second day in a row, I feel like a complete dumb ass for not thinking of Skylar. What is wrong with me?

"Hey, it's alright, it's not like you have to take care of her. You can go back to sleep for a while, I can wake you up whenever you want." She says

I shake my head, "No, can I shower in the guest bathroom? Then I can cook breakfast for the two of us again." I offer.

"San you don't have to feel like you have to prove yourself to me. You didn't do anything wrong, you should feel like you have to take care of Skylar, I know that's not what you signed up for. That's my job, not yours. If you want to take my car and go home and get ready there you can feel free to, although if you choose to do that I would prefer if you would pick me up before you left for school."

"I don't feel like I _have _to take care of Skylar, but I want to help. If you think I'm around too much though, please just tell me and I can leave. I have no problem with that. In fact I probably have been enough of a pain in your ass already. I kind of invited myself to sleep over last night, I'm really sorry. I'll just walk home so that you don't have to worry about not having a car."

How did I not notice that I've outstayed my welcome. I have been here for nearly 2 days straight, she's probably so sick of me by now. Not really the ideal way to get someone to start to like you.

I quickly start to get out of bed and start trying to find my clothes to change into.

"Santana, stop. I never said I didn't want you here. In fact, I rather like you being here." She says with a shy smile. "I just don't want to make you feel like I'm taking advantage of your kindness, I really want this friendship to last. I love having you here. I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive"

"Ok, so is it ok if I use the guest bathroom before cooking breakfast?"

"Of course you can shower in the other bathroom, but you don't have to cook breakfast or anything. I usually just grab cereal or something."

"Well today you'll get a cooked meal instead." I say with a smile.

I was actually impressed by how smoothly Rachel went about her morning routine. It's like she has everything down to a science, almost the minute the mother finished her hair Skylar started to cry. It was crazy.

At 6:45, Rachel and I were out the door on our way to school.

When we walked into school together everyone started staring at us like there was some type of conspiracy going on or something. I don't really understand it; we have been talking since school started, why are people making a big deal out of it now?

I walk with Rachel over to her locker and lean against the locker next to hers while she gets what she needs for the day. "Are you going home today for your free period and lunch like usual?" I ask.

"Yea, I go home everyday. It helps to stem the separation anxiety that we both feel." She says quietly so that no one else hears.

"You're free to come with me today" She offers.

"I get that, and no I'll hang here. I've been hogging your alone time with her the past two days, and that's not fair. Plus I guarantee that Britt is going to want to eat together since I wasn't here yesterday."

She looks down slightly and averts her eyes when I mention Brittany. Strange.

"Ok, that's fine, but you really don't have to feel bad about being around too much, Skylar seems to like having you around." She says with a smile while closing her locker.

"Only Skylar?" I tease as we make our way over to my locker.

"Yup" She says popping her p, before turning on her heels. "See you in homeroom." She calls over her shoulder with a smirk.

Oh-no she did not! The little tease! Wait. In order to tease, she has to flirt. Was she flirting with me?

A huge smile forms on my face, I'm pretty sure I could light up the entire city of Lima right now. It quickly fades when I see even more people looking at me strangely, not used to seeing me smile.

When I get to homeroom, Rachel managed to pick a seat surrounded by people. When she sees me walk in she smirks at me and raises an eyebrow. I return her smirk with vengeance. She's testing me.

I slowly walk up to the seat next to Rachel's where some random bottom feeder who I don't even know is sitting.

"This is my seat." I state coolly.

The girl looks up to me and looks like a fish out of water, her mouth just keeps opening and closing as she looks for a response.

"Seats aren't assigned though." I can see Rachel's smirk deepen out of my peripheral.

"Ok, look this is how it's going to go. You are going to get up and find another seat, and I am going to sit down in this one right here." I say pointing at the chair she is sitting in.

The girl's mouth opens and closes a few more time before she quickly grabs all of her stuff and moves to find another seat.

"That wasn't very nice, Stephanie was sitting there first." She teases.

"I know, that was very rude of you," I respond casually.

"Of me?" She asks affronted.

"Yes of you. You were the one who sat in a seat that didn't have an empty seat next to it. You knew that I would want to sit next to you, thus it is your fault that the poor innocent girl lost her seat." I explain as if it were obvious.

The diva thinks on this for a second before looking over to the girl. "Sorry Stephanie." She calls over to where the girl was forced to relocate.

I let out a laugh and pump my fist in victory.

"Oh, shut up," Rachel says with an eye roll.

As our homeroom teacher is calling roll, Becky Jackson walks into the room. She completely ignores the teacher's protests and simply hands me a note and walks out of the classroom again.

"What's that?" Rachel asks.

I shrug my shoulder as I open up the note I was handed. "Looks like coach wants me to meet with her during my free period. So much for going to lunch with Britt." I sigh.

"What do you think it's about?"

"Not sure, she never tells us what these meetings are about until we get there." I say with a shrug as the bell rings.

As soon as we step out of homeroom I am met with an armful of Brittany.

"I thought you were lost forever!" She exclaims as she lets go of me. I look at Rachel and she has a look in her eyes that I have never seen before. Wait. Is that _jealousy_? I don't even have enough time to figure it out because it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

"Why would you think that Brittany? And do you think you could let me breathe please?" Rachel gasps out.

"Sure" Brittany says not understanding that Rachel is asking her to let go.

I gently remove the bubbly blondes arms from around the shorter girl. Britt looks at me with a pout, which I return with an apologetic smile.

"Where were you guys yesterday? I thought you had both gotten really lost and couldn't find your way to school, but you're here now."

"We weren't lost Britt-Britt, we just needed to take the day off."

"Oh ok," The blonde responds with a shrug. "Can we get lunch today San? Please I feel like it's been forever since I had any best friend time!"

I see Rachel stiffen next to me, and for a second the unknown look flashes in her eyes again. I send her a questioning look before addressing Brittany again, "I would love to B but I need to meet with coach during my free period so we won't have enough time. We can eat together in the cafe though."

"That's fine!" She exclaims. With one last hug each, Brittany bounces on down the hallway.

The next three periods go by pretty quickly. We have a quiz in our third period class today and we're allowed to leave when we are finished. I finish up quicker than anyone else and pack up my things. On my way out I look over Rachel's shoulder and see that she still has about half the quiz left to finish. I roll my eyes at her because she is moving so slow, even though I know she knows the material. I would think she would want to work faster so she can get to Skylar faster.

After turning in my quiz, I make my way to Coach Sylvester's office, and knock on the door.

"Ah, Sandbags, your early." Sue greats me as she opens her door.

"Are the nicknames necessary?"

"They are. Now I have called you here for a reason, so shut up." She usually doesn't talk to me like this, not since I became head Cheerio. I am worried that I did something wrong to upset her or something.

"It has come to my attention that you have started to hang out with Streisand recently. I have on good authority that you even came to school with her today. Is this true?"

I stiffen immediately. What am I going to do if she tells me I can't hang out with Rachel? I can't and won't abandon Rae, especially after everything she told me yesterday, but I need to be a Cheerio.

"Uh- Yea, me and Rachel have become friends. Why?"

"I am asking the questions Jugs." My eyes roll at the nickname without me even thinking about it.

"Is she ok?" Sue then asks, softer than I had ever heard her before.

"What?" I am so in shock, I am convinced I heard her wrong.

"Is she ok Santana? Something seems like it's off with her, and I'm worried. You said you were friends, so do you know if she's ok?"

"Uh- yea she's good. She has a lot going on right now, but I'm helping her work through it." I answer, and I see Sue visibly relax.

"No offense Coach, but why do you care? Are you looking to use this as an opportunity to beat her down? Because if it is I won't let you, kick me off the Cheerios if you want but I refuse to stand by and let you, or anyone else, hurt her. "

"Whoa there Tits Magee calm down there. I am not out to get the midget." I stiffen at the nickname, not mine but Rachel's.

"Something is going on with her though isn't there?"

"Yea, but I can't tell you what it is."

"That's fine. I have always admired your loyalty S. It is one of the reasons I made you head cheerio when Q got herself knocked up. You have been fiercely protective of Brittany since day one and I know that I can trust you to continue to make sure she is ok. Most of the Cheerio's can take care of themselves, their egos are big enough to fight heir battles for them, but Britt is special. You saw that immediately and made sure to take care of her. I respect that. I also know that I really don't have to ask you to do this but I'm going to anyway. Add Rachel to that list. Protect Rachel, she needs it more than B does anymore."

"I will Coach, but why do you care?"

"I have always respected the diva. I was actually going to ask her to be on the Cheerios your freshman year, but I was afraid that if I did she would become reliant on the popularity and slack off on her dream. She is born to be a star and she will become one as long as she gets out of this town. I have always known that, which is why I have allowed you and Quinn to get away with the shit you have been pulling for so long. If you pushed her away and made her an outcast she would have nothing anchoring her here. But something changed. I can see it. Even though I don't know what it is, it doesn't change the fact that the situation has changed, and she is no longer the headstrong diva she used to be. She needs someone to look out for her now."

I am astounded by everything that Sue just told me. She had used our HBIC personas to _help_ Rachel. Looking back now, it actually makes sense. Sue _never_ let us gets away with bullying anyone consistently, at least not until glee started. She said that you could only push the bottom feeders too much until they break. We were not to be the reason someone broke, 'too much paperwork'. However when it came to Rachel, she never really reigned in our behavior.

"I'm handling it the best that I can." I explain.

"What do you know about Shelby Corcoran?" She asks out of the blue.

"Rachel's birth mother? Not much, just that she was a surrogate and then manipulated Rachel into finding her during our Sophomore year only to leave again basically saying that Rachel didn't need her and she was looking for a baby not a teenager. She adopted Beth. Why?"

"Nothing, just wondering what you knew." She answers while turning to her diary and starting to write. She looks up at me over her glasses, "Dismissed."

Again I roll my eyes as I get up and walk out of the office. I am still trying to process what just happened as I walk down the hallway. As I turn the corner I see Rachel looking irritated and a little frightened with Mike on her right side as Kurt and Mercedes stand in front of her. From down the hallway, it seems like they are yelling at her. What could they possibly think she did now? She's not even in glee anymore.

I am making my way down the hallway to help her out, when I realize that Mike is actually arguing against the duo instead of with them. I can't tell what he is saying, but he is stabbing his finger in the air towards the duo and his face is the picture of irritation and anger.

I instantly feel jealousy bubble up in my chest at the thought of someone other than me protecting Rachel. Where has he been the last two days? Not assuring and reassuring Rachel that he won't leave, that's for sure. Not bonding with Skylar. No, that was _her_ doing those things. I start to lengthen my strides towards them before I realize what I'm doing.

I stop abruptly about fifteen feet away from the others. I am seriously jealous of Mike right now. Mike, who is happily in love with Tina. I should be happy that another person is looking out for Rachel; she needs as many people in her corner as possible. It is a good thing that Mike is standing up for Rachel.

I let out a little sigh as I continue towards the four people down the hallway, this time much slower than before.

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

_(10 minutes prior)_

I stop at my locker to drop off my books before heading home for my break. As I am putting in my last book, my locker door gets slammed shut, nearly taking my hand with it.

"What the hell?" I hiss as I look to see who did it.

Of course. Kurt and Mercedes.

"What do you guys want?" I ask in a clipped tone. "You got what you want, I'm not in New Directions, so why the hell are you bothering me now?"

"Oh kitty got her claws when she disappeared." Kurt quips.

I just roll my eyes at them and try to turn away so I can leave. Before I can even fully turn away from them Mercedes grabs my upper arm and spins me back to force them.

"We don't know what you have over Santana and Brittany's heads, but just leave them alone. We need them in order to get our numbers, and while you're replaceable, we are running out of members, so just cut it out. We get that you think your all that, and now that we don't want you in our club you are trying to destroy it, but just leave it alone."

"Ok, first of all, I could care less about _your_ glee club anymore. It is the least of my worries. And second of all, since when does Santana Lopez do anything that she doesn't want to do? I am not forcing Santana or Brittany to do anything. Maybe if you changed your attitude you wouldn't be down so many members. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go." I say in one breath as I try to turn again. This time, instead of just turning me around, Mercedes slams me into the lockers behind me. Kurt takes the opportunity to hold me there and pick up where she left off.

"Listen here Princess. We know that you're out to get the glee club because we all didn't get on our knees and worship you, or kiss your feet in thanks for your coming back to us. All I am saying is quit it or watch your back, your choice." He spits out a few inches from my face.

Before I even get a chance to respond, Kurt is being pushed away from me. I look over expecting to see Santana, but am surprised to see that it was actually Mike who came to my rescue.

"Leave her alone Kurt."

"We were just letting her know what we think about her plan to sabotage the glee club. We are only doing it for the good of the club." Mercedes explains, trying to look and sound as innocent as possible.

"She didn't do anything to sabotage the glee club, you two and Quinn did. Actually we all did when we decided to be complete asses to her for no reason. Just because you guys can't find enough members to complete the stupid club, doesn't mean that it is Rachel's fault. You were the ones who told her that you didn't want her, so deal with the consequences of your actions and move on." Mike said sternly. I don't think that I have ever heard Mike talk that much before.

"Just because we didn't want her doesn't mean that she had to force Santana and Brittany to quit too. Mike, if we don't get them back, we are never going to be able to compete. This is our last year; we have to make it to Nationals. I am only looking out for the team."

"Santana stood up in the middle of that practice and quit because of your actions, not Rachel's, Kurt. She quit because she didn't think that you were being fair to Rachel, and you know what I agree with her. If it weren't for Tina's love of the glee club, I would quit too." He says while putting his arm around me. I look up to him and offer him a small smile.

"Seriously, Hobbit-"

"Excuse me, but geeks don't use Cheerios' patented nicknames. If you have a problem with that, bring it up with Coach Sylvester." Santana states as if it's the most natural thing in the world, as she slides up next to Mike and I.

I spare her a quick glance before looking back towards the duo. She must see the fear in my eyes because she moves her hand to my lower back as a show of support. At her touch my stomach instantly flips and I feel a lot safer than I did ten seconds ago.

"Now," Santana starts and her voice drops two octaves causing her voice to come out semi-demonic, "you are both going to walk away from Rachel right this minute, and _NEVER_ come at her again with this type of shit. Do I make myself clear?" Both Mercedes and Kurt nod their head lamely.

"Are you sure? Because if I find out that you decided to break my orders, I will ensure that you are slushied everyday until graduation day. By slushied I mean constantly slushied, if you clean yourselves off, there will be another one in your face." She threatens.

Both of their eyes become huge as they again nod and then quickly run away from us.

"Wow San intense much?" I joke. But I can't help but smile at her with appreciation and a little adoration. She really is amazing. No wait, I don't even know what I'm thinking. Santana and I are just friends, nothing more.

She has been the first person to look out for me in a long time. I must just be confusing the feeling of safely for the feeling of attraction. That must be it.

She just shrugs her shoulders and gives me a lopsided smile "Hey, whatever works. Their drama queens, they only respond to dramatic threats." Hmm, I never thought of it that way, but that totally makes sense.

"Are you ok Rach?" Mike asks, reminding me of his presence. I had been so completely focused on Santana that I forgot anyone else existed for a minute there.

"Yea, Mike I'm good. Thanks for coming to my rescue. I was really worried that one of them was going to hit me for a minute there." I can see Santana's face scrunch up in anger almost immediately.

"Yea so did I. Is your back ok? It looked like Mercedes slammed you into the lockers pretty hard." Mike asks, and I close my eyes because I can predict what Santana's reaction to that is going to be. I put my hand on her arm to try and calm her down before she can react.

"SHE DID WHAT? Oh hell no. Where'd she go, I'll show her fat ass what it means to be from Lima Heights!" She says looking down the hallway towards where the other two divas disappeared, shaking in anger.

"San just relax. Please, I'm ok. I promise, no need to go and get yourself in trouble." I explain while running my hand, which I had never moved, up and down her arm to try and calm her down.

It seems to work too because she stops shaking and looks me in the eyes. "I refuse to let anyone hurt you." She says sincerely.

"I appreciate that, but I'm fine." I say just as sincerely while I hold her gaze. I wonder if she is feeling what I am feeling in this moment right now. Probably not because even I couldn't tell you what I am feeling exactly right now. But it feels like something just changed for me. Like a dam is about to break and I'm not sure how to stop it or if I even _want_ to stop it.

I probably should stop it though. Santana is the only person I truly trust right now, I need her in my life. I can't do anything to jeopardize that.

We continue our staring contest for a few more minutes until Mike interrupts.

"Um- Sorry to interrupt… whatever this is, but I wanted to say sorry Rach." Mike says and I finally break Santana's stare and move my head to look at Mike. I hope he didn't pick up on the…whatever the hell that just was between Santana and I. I shake my head clear it of what was just going through my mind and refocus my attention on Mike.

"For what Mike? You have never done anything to me. In fact, you and Tina are really the only ones who haven't." I ask and I feel the muscles under my hand that is still on Santana's bicep tense. I lightly squeeze it to let her know that it's ok.

"True, but we never stopped it either. We have been talking, and we both feel really bad about allowing the abuse to go on for so long. We should have stood up for you a while ago, but we were too chicken. I am ashamed of myself for allowing my need to be liked outweigh my conscious telling me to help." He explains before bowing his head and looking at his feet.

"I would really like it if we could be friends." He finishes.

"I would love that." I smile softly at him.

He smiles back brightly and pulls me in for a hug, which I gladly return. Before we pull out of the hug my phone chirps in my back pocket, alerting me to a text message.

Without even missing a beat, Santana reaches into my back pocket and opens my phone. I know that she is making sure that it's not Kurt or Mercedes. I would usually be really upset if someone evaded my privacy like that, but I don't have many secrets from Santana anymore so what could it really hurt.

When I feel a tap on my shoulder I see Tina standing there. I realize I had been hugging her boyfriend for far too long and I quickly release Mike.

"Tina, I'm sorry I didn't mean to-" Tina pulling me into a tight hug cuts my rant short.

"I'm so sorry for allowing everyone to be rude to you Rachel." Tina murmurs into the hug.

"Yea well, I have given you plenty of reasons to hate me Tina. I have been a huge bitch to you in the past. I am truly sorry about all of it."

"The past is the past, we should concentrate on the future. Friends?"

"Friends." I confirm.

I feel another tap on my shoulder and become confused as to who else it could be. When I let go of Tina, Santana hands me my phone and mouths the word 'barb'. I quickly look at my phone, worried that something happened to Skylar.

**From Barbara: Is everything okay? You are usually home by now. Just wanted to check to make sure you are not hurt or anything. **

I shoot off a quick text letting her know that I am fine and just got caught up before looking back up at the three other people in the hallway.

"Rach would you want to eat lunch with us? We were just going to grab something from the cafeteria, but it would be cool if you would sit with us." Mike offered.

I don't know what to do right now. I haven't stayed at school for the full day since school started, and I am used to seeing Skylar during this time, and Sky is used to seeing me, but it would be really nice to make more friends. I know that Mike and Tina just offered me friendships but how can we really be friends if I never have time to hang out with them. After school is obviously out since I have to take care of Skylar and they can't find out about her. I look to Santana to ask for her opinion on what I should do like it was second nature for me to ask her opinion. I don't know when she became that person for me, but I've never been more grateful to have somebody like that in my life.

She understands what I need immediately, "Rae why don't you go grab lunch with them. Maybe you can even eat outside, the _Sky_ is ok right now."

I can see Tina and Mike giving us both a strange look. I am assuming mostly because Santana and me being friends is probably still strange to them, but also because to them Santana's sentence didn't really make a whole lot of sense.

"We don't mind eating outside if that's what you want to do Rach. She's right it's really nice out. " Tina offers.

I can see Santana trying to hold back a smirk because they have no idea what she was talking about.

"Ok yea, that sounds nice." I finally relent, and we start to walk towards the lunchroom.

"Guys we'll catch up to you in a second, I need to talk to Rae first though." She tells the couple. They just nod their heads and continue to the cafeteria.

"Are you sure about this?" She asks and I smirk at her.

"Were you not just pushing me into it? Smooth by the way." I say with a laugh.

"I was, because I think it's good for you to have more friends, not that I'm going anywhere but still." She adds, rubbing her hands down my arms until she links our hands and it makes my smirk turn into a smile, "But if your not comfortable with it, then just go home. I'll explain it to Chang Squared." She adds with a light squeeze to my hands.

I can't help but roll my eyes at her nickname for the Mike and Tina, "Another patented Cheerios' nickname?"

"I actually came up with that one!" She said excitedly.

Again I roll my eyes, but I cant help smiling at how excited she is getting over the fact that she came up with that nickname. "Anyway, I'm fine, I will see the baby in a few hours, and she is probably sleeping now anyway since she's still sick." I explain, trying to convince me more than her.

She looks at me skeptically for a moment before nodding her head. "Ok then text Barb and let her know so that she can stop worrying." She says thoughtfully.

**To Barb: Going to stay here today, made friends and they asked me to eat lunch with them :D**

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><p><strong>Some of you may be upset about Santana forgetting about Skylar twice now.. I just want to set the record straight, the only reason I wrote those parts in was to show that she is still getting the hang of all of it. Santana is brand new to having an infant around, so she't not used to having to put the babies needs before her own. I wrote it also to show that she is trying to learn and is ashamed of herself for not remembering. Rachel has been at this for months, Santana is just starting out. Please keep that in mind.<strong>

**Also my beta and I tried to add in some more flirting parts in.. I hope it still seems realistic and not rushed.. what do you guys think?**

**Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter was originally really hard for me to write.. I just couldn't get it right.. then it kind of took off on its own accord.. Honestly I have no idea how the end of the chapter happened lol.. My fingers just kept typing and when they were finished I was like WTF.. how did that happen? lol.. Hope you all like it :) **

**This ended up being way longer than expected also.. lets just say that its to make up for next chapter since that one turned out to be shorter than expected lol :)**

**Thank you all soooo much for the alerts and favorites and especially the review! You are honestly all awesome! I seriously can not believe that this fic reached 200 reviews! It is absolutely nuts to me, I never expected this fic to become even remotely popular.. thank you all so much!**

**Also want to thank my beta GE0309 for helping so much with this chapter! You're amazing!**

**Disclaimer: Glee is not mine**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 10<strong>_

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

It's been almost two weeks since I'd learned about Skylar.

The rest of that week had been pretty boring compared to Tuesday and Wednesday. On Friday Rachel had opted to go home for lunch again, so I just ate lunch with Brittany, Mike, and Tina. I didn't blame Rachel. When we had gone back to house to pick Skylar up on Thursday after school, so that she could come with Rachel and I to drop me off at home, she instantly clung to her mother for dear life. Rachel held on just as tightly.

Our weekend had been fairly uneventful. Rachel, Skylar, Papi, and I all went shopping for some stuff to keep at our house on Saturday. We went two towns over so that no one would recognize Rachel and wonder about Sky.

The following week was just about the same, Rachel spent Monday at school for lunch and on Friday we all went out for lunch. The other days she went home to be with Sky. She has definitely been getting better about being away from the baby, and it seemed like the infant was doing better as well.

As Rachel and I walk down the hallway towards our third period class I glance into the principal's office as we past. My breath instantly hitches. I look over at Rachel and luckily she doesn't seem to have noticed anything. I wait until we are a little ways down the hallway before turning to her and making up an excuse to go back without her.

"Hey I forgot a book in my locker and I need to go get it." I say as I already start to walk back the way we had just came.

"I'll walk with you." She says and starts walking towards me.

"No. You don't want to be late too, there's no reason for us both to get in trouble. You just go and I'll meet you there." I hope that it doesn't sound like I'm trying to get rid of her, which I guess I am, but I hope she doesn't think it's for a bad reason.

Luckily she accepts my answer and with a wave starts walking towards our classroom. Once I'm sure she's out of eyesight I turn around and jog back to the principle's office. I walk straight past the secretary who tries to stop me, completely ignoring her presence.

As I barge into the office everyone stops talking instantly.

"Young lady, this is a private meeting, you are not welcomed in here at the moment. Please go to class." Mr. Figgins tries, I just ignore him.

"What are you doing here?" I hiss at the unwelcomed visitor in the room.

"S, back down. I invited her here." Sue explains.

I just spin around to give the cheer coach an incredulous look. "I told you what happened between them and you choose to help by bring Shelby here? I thought you wanted to help her? Did you use me to find a way to upset her more? I trusted you!"

"I said back down Lopez." Sue said evenly. "I brought her here after ensuring that she would have Rachel's best interests at heart."

"Just like she did last time?" I ask accusingly.

"Excuse me, but who are you? How does this even involve you?" Shelby asks obviously upset at my accusation.

"I'm none of your business, I think you should leave."

"Ms. Lopez, I have had enough of this, go to class. Now!" Oh look at Figgins getting all angry, so cute.

"I think she should stay, she has legitimate reasons to be weary of Ms. Corcoran's presence. She should be here while we have this discussion." I give Sue a grateful smile while sending a victorious smirk over to the principal and Shelby.

"To answer your original questions: yes I brought her here and I am sincerely just looking out for Rachel. On that note, do you honestly think that I would bring her here if I thought that it would turn out even worse for the munchkin? I checked her out before even asking you about her and I have been in contact with her for over a week now. She knows that if she steps one toe out of line I will rip her apart and leave poor Bethy motherless – again." She says sending a glare in Shelby's direction.

Shelby just holds up her hands in defense. "I told you a million times before, I made a huge mistake before, but by the time that I realized that I couldn't do anything about it. It killed me, it still kills me."

"Why do you need her if you have Beth?" I ask.

"Beth is not a replacement for Rachel, - I'm sorry who are you?"

"Your worst nightmare if you fuck with Rachel."

"Language Ms. Lopez, don't make me tell you again."

"I still don't get why she's here. You think she can help great, but why are you meeting in the principal' office? Which she could have seen her in by the way. It's a miracle she didn't look over when I freaked out about seeing her here."

"Well Sandbags if you would let us get back to our conversation, you would know why she's here." I roll my eyes and plop down in an empty chair while crossing my arms.

"As we were discussing before the interruption," Figgins says while glaring at me, I just give him my own glaring look right back and it seems to do the trick, because he quickly looks away from me and continues talking, "Sue you are willing to give up a quarter of the Cheerios budget to help get a new glee club formed in McKinley? Usually you are fighting against the arts, what changed?"

_She's doing what?_

"You're doing what?" I scream while swiveling around in my chair to gape at Coach Sylvester.

"You heard right S, and lucky you're here too, you are the first official member of Shelby's rival glee club. Congrats. Are we done here?" Sue says on her way towards the door.

"Sue you never gave me a reason why you are willing to do this." Figgins exclaims, well really he said it in a monotonous voice, but that's exclaiming for him.

"Is a reason really necessary, I'm willing to, enough said. Make it happen." Sue says challengingly.

"What if Ms. Corcoran isn't interested? Someone as lovely as her, must have other things on her plate, other people perhaps." All three of us look at him with disgust.

"I have already discussed this with Sue, everything is set as soon as you sign off on it." Shelby explains.

"Ok then consider it done." Figgins concedes all the while throwing a creepy smile towards Shelby.

The two older women shake Figgins' hand before exiting the room; I quickly follow.

"Not so fast Bio-Mom, we have some things that need discussing."

"S, the hallway is not the place. Is Streisand going home for lunch or staying here?"

"Is there a reason you refuse to call her by her name?" the only response I get is a smirk. "Fine. She is staying here to eat lunch with us."

"Why does she usually go home?" Shelby asks.

"None of your business."

"Enough Santana, bring this note to your third period teacher and then meet us in my office. Quickly."

I nod and take off towards my English class. I come to a halt when a figure steps into my way. I come about an inch away from knocking the other person over.

"S, we need to talk." Now I'm even more annoyed.

"Now's not really the time Tubbers. Get out of my way."

"You never have time for me anymore! So no, were going to talk now."

"Actually were not, and I don't have time for you anymore because you turned into an uber bitch and I'm really not interested." I say as I move to step around her. She follows my movement. I think she is really trying to get a beat down.

"Is that you talking, or your new bestie?" She asks in a mocking tone.

"You'd best get out of my way Quinn, or I will make you move." I say stepping up so we're toe-to-toe.

"Make me." She responds, thinking I'm bluffing.

Unfortunately for her, I'm not. I shove her with all my strength, causing her to fall to the ground and she slides back a foot. She just looks at me with wide eyes, obviously surprised that I had actually pushed her.

"What happened to you S? What happened to us? We used to be best friends."

"Used to being the operative word, but that was before you put your popularity above our friendship. Now I'm putting real friendship above our fake one, get over it." With that I start jogging down the hallway again.

When I finally make it to the classroom, I walk in and hand Mr. Smith my note. I look around the room while he reads it and signs off on it.

Rachel is looking at me with questioning eyes. I just roll my eyes and mouth 'Sylvester' to her. She accepts the answer with a smile and a nod of her head. God she is so cute sometimes.

Once I get the note back, I turn around and run back towards Coach's office. I walk right past Becky just as I had the receptionist earlier. She seems to care less about it; Sue must have given her a heads up.

"What took you so long Pamela?"

"Really? Pamela? Whatever. I ran into Q on my way over here and she wouldn't take no for answer, at least not until I made her." I answer in a cocky tone.

"You didn't hurt her did you?" Shelby asked concerned.

"Since when do you care about Quinn? I thought you were here for Rachel?"

"I am here for Rachel." She answers confidently.

"Well make up your mind, because you can't be here for both of them."

"Why not? I don't want Quinn to grow up feeling the same way I do about Rachel, or for Beth to grow up like Rachel."

"Well that's too damn bad, you have to choose, Rachel or Quinn. At least for now." Sue explains coolly. I actually didn't expect her to turn on Shelby that quickly. I guess she really is interested in helping Rachel.

"I don't understand why though. If I'm here, why can't I help both?"

"Because they hate each other. Plus, if Rachel sees that your trying to help Quinn she will never trust that you came back strictly for her. So pick: your daughter, or your daughter's mom." I explain in a serious tone, leaving no room for another argument.

"Well obviously when you put it that way I'm going to choose my daughter – I'm sorry I still haven't caught your name." I smirk because I kind of like it that way. "I can go with Ms. Lopez if you prefer, but I figure that you might want something a little less formal."

"Wow, you can totally see where she gets her rambling from," I mutter under my breath. It's obvious that Sue heard me though because she is smirking at me.

"My name is Santana. I'm your daughter's friend, and I am here to look out for her and that is all. I could give two shits about what happens to you, or how you feel, I just want Rae to be happy. If you can help with that then fine, but if not just move along, she doesn't need anymore heartbreak."

Shit. I really hope she doesn't read into that.

"I'm here to help Santana. I love Rachel and I want to be apart of her life."

"Fine, but whatever Coach threatened you with, it goes double for me. But mine will be slow and deliberate." I say threateningly.

"I'm not going to cause problems!" She exclaimed looking mildly frightened. Good. At least she knows I'm serious.

"Fine, then what the hell is this club about? And how does it help Rachel?"

"It's going to be a glee club that is basically going to compete against Will's group. I have already talked to the board. Assuming Will can pull a team together fast enough we will compete against one another at Sectionals."

"How are you going to get enough members? And again, how does this help Rachel?"

"I am forcing half of the Cheerios into this group. You guys need members, and I need a more versatile group of girls. It's a win-win. And the Diva is your responsibility. You have to find a way to get her in the club. Even if she doesn't accept Mommy Dearest as a parental figure, at least she has her precious glee club back. Well not really, but at least she has an outlet for her singing."

"I don't think she's going to be open to joining the club. Shelby being the coach causes one problem, but there is also the fact that I have only heard her since a select few times since everything happened with New Directions, and none of them have been in public. Plus, she is basically a shut in anymore, she is not the extrovert she used to be before she left last year." I explain. That seemed like the safest way to express Rachel and Skylar's separation anxiety.

"What do you mean she left last year? Where did she go?"

"None of your business, you can find out all of that when she is ready for you to find out, as for right now you don't even ask her about it." Sue says sharply.

For Sylvester being such a hard ass, she really does have a strange soft spot for Rachel.

"So what am I really supposed to do Coach? I won't force her into something she doesn't want." I tell her.

"Figure it out. The more people she feels like she has in her corner the better she'll be."

How is that a solution to our problem? 'Figure it out'? How am I supposed to do that? How am I supposed to explain to her that I joined her mother's glee club? She is going to feel so betrayed. What the hell am I supposed to do?

The bell rings signaling the end of the period and I just continue to sit there trying to figure all this out.

"What if I can't convince her, and choose not to join myself?" I ask.

"Just do your best Santana. If you can't get Rachel to join, then fine you can quit to, but just do your best." Sue said in the softest tone I'd ever heard. Add that to the fact that she said both of our names, I was in shock. "Get out of my office. Both of you." There's the old Sue we all know and… know.

I quickly get up and walk out of the office with Shelby following close behind. Once I'm out of the door, I stop dead in my tracks, causing Shelby to walk into me.

"Rae…"

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV <strong>

I had decided to meet Santana outside of Sue's office seeing as we were supposed to hang out during our free period before meeting Brittany, Mike and Tina for lunch. I thought my eyes were failing me when I watch my mom- birth mother walk out after her.

Why were they together? How long had Santana been talking to Shelby? What had Santana told Shelby? The questions just kept coming.

"Rae…"

I blink back tears as I take a stumbling step away from Shelby and the girl I thought was my first true friend. She had betrayed me; she went behind my back and told Shelby, and probably Sue, what was going on. What am I going to do? Should I just go get Skylar and run?

"Rachel don't run. Listen to me ok. I got called into Sue's office and Shelby was there. There is no conspiracy going on Rae. Sue called her here and then called me here."

Should I believe her? How do I know if she's telling the truth.

"That's what really happened Rachel," Shelby speaks up, "Sue called her here and when Santana saw me she flipped. She threatened me and everything. She had nothing to do with me coming here." Shelby explains to me and I relax a little.

That is quickly dashed and my chest tightens up when I realize that if they are in cahoots then of course Shelby would lie for Santana.

"Rae look at me. Just stop thinking and look at me. Do I look like the bitch who tortured you before?"

"Tortured?" I hear Shelby ask from our right. She goes ignored.

"Do I?"

"No." The tightness in my chest lightens just a little.

"Do you really believe that after everything I've done to gain your trust that I would throw it all away for something as stupid as Shelby?"

"Hey!" Shelby protests, again being ignored.

"No." It lightens even more. I'm starting to feel a little ashamed for thinking Santana would do that to me.

"Than why do you believe that I would do that then? I'm still me Rae. You're my best friend, along with Britt, and I would never do anything to hurt you. I promise."

My heart swelled when she said that I was on the same level as Brittany. Sure I considered her to be my best friend, but I never expected her to think of me as a close friend like Brittany. I feel so stupid for thinking she would betray me like that. I surge forward and hug her tight. She quickly returns the hug.

"I'm here for you Rae. I am not going anywhere, and I'm certainly not trying to get Shelby to fill my place so I can get away. I'm here to stay, you're never getting rid of me."

I am shocked that she can read me so easily. I hadn't even consciously thought that, but it was definitely in the back of my mind. I just cling to her tighter.

"We do need to have a talk though." I stiffen immediately. "Hey relax it's nothing too bad, it could even be considered good. Maybe." She says with a nervous chuckle.

"What is it?" I ask looking from Shelby to Santana, since this obviously had something to do with the older version of me.

"Lets go to the auditorium to talk. Is it ok if Shelby comes? It involves her."

I just nod and grab Santana's hand as she leads me to the auditorium. I keep a watchful eye on Shelby the entire time.

Why is she back?

Once we get to the auditorium, we all sit awkwardly waiting for someone to make the first move. But we just end up in an uncomfortable silence since no one knows how to start, or it may be because know one is brave enough to . I let out an annoyed and decide to start us off.

"Ok what's going on? How bad is it?"

"It's not bad per se." I just roll my eyes at Santana's avoidance. "Ok, Sue called me into her office to tell me that I had to join Shelby's glee club."

Now I'm confused. "Your rejoining New Directions?" I ask a little hurt.

It's her decision if she wants to rejoin, but I figured that she would stand by me on this.

"No, _Shelby's_ glee club. Sue is using Shelby as a new way to bring down Shue. Basically Shelby is starting a rival glee club to compete against New Directions. Sue wants me to join, well forced is more like it, but if you don't want to do it with me, I'll quit, even if it means quitting the Cheerios as well."

I glance at Shelby, who had been watching our exchange closely, but had remained silent.

"Don't feel like you have to Rae. If you don't think you can for _any_ reason just say the word and it's over." I know she's hinting at Skylar along with the fact that my estranged surrogate would be my coach.

"What's the practicing schedule?"

"I was thinking everyday after school from 3-5." Shelby answers softly. I can tell by her voice that she's nervous.

"Is this why your back? For the glee club?" I ask her.

"Is that what you want?"

That question threw me off. Is that what I want?

"I don't know."

The oldest brunette let out a small sigh, "Rachel, I came back here to make amends with you, and hopefully form some type of relationship, but I don't want to push you. I know I messed up last time around, and I _promise_ you that it won't happen again. But I understand if you still can't trust me. It will take time, I know, but I want to try. I will do whatever you want at whatever pace your comfortable with."

She sounds sincere, but I'm still not big on the whole 'relationship' thing. I don't need any more parents abandoning me after I get attached.

"Well for now I want to start with the club. I would like somewhere to sing again, but I can't do those hours. I can maybe do 2 times a week for two hours." I can't leave Skylar for that long everyday.

"Three days a week for three hours?"

"Three days a week for an hour and a half."

"I feel like your offers are getting worse." She accuses.

"Yours aren't much better." I counter.

"It's because they all are! You are both so stubborn," Santana laughs out and I send her a glare. She knows why I can't practice that much.

"Fine, how about two days a week for two hours for whoever doesn't need the help and then those who do, have to stay an extra half hour on those days and come in for three hours on a separate day." Shelby compromises.

"That seems acceptable since I won't be needed for the extra practices," I say with a smirk.

"I suppose you wouldn't. We need to work hard to get everything together in such a short amount of time. Will probably had his set list picked out months ago and his kids have been practicing for that long. We-" she is cut off by Santana's and my cackles. We are basically rolling around the floor right now.

"What is so funny?" Shelby asks amused at our behavior.

"Mr. Shue will pick out that damn set list _maybe _a week before Sectionals. He sucks at being prepared, all of our set lists are thrown together last minute." Santana laughs out. I never realized how much I love that laugh.

"Oh well, the other group we're competing against may not be so stupid, so we have to work hard regardless." Shelby says.

"I agree," I say after finally calming down my laughter, "If we're going to do this we have to do it right. With Santana and I on lead and Brittany dancing, we'll be amazing, we just have to practice."

"My thoughts exactly. Thus my thinking we need more practice time." Wow she's persistent. No wonder where I got my persistence from. Regardless, I can't practice more.

"I can't spend more time here, I can promise to practice at home though. Take it or leave it."

"I'll take what I can get. Any chance you can give up your free period also?"

"Once a week max."

"I'll take that too." She says holding out a hand.

I look at her hand warily. All it took was one touch for me to be connected with Sky, does it work the other way as well?

I finally shake her hand, and I'm happy that there was no random daughter spark lit within me.

"Ok well I'll let you two get back to your free period and lunch."

"Wow that was intense. It was like a business deal." Santana must realize that's how I explained my dad coming to me to give me the house because she lowers her head instantly.

"Hey it's ok, that was a business deal. If, and that's a big if, but if me and Shelby decide to take a stab at a real mother-daughter relationship, it will be separate from the glee club." I explain. "Now come on, lets head towards the cafeteria to meet the others since the bell is about to ring."

Santana just nods and picks up both of our bags off of the floor. When I go to grab mine, she pulls it further onto her shoulder and walks towards the back entrance of the auditorium. I can't help but blush a little. I roll my eyes to cover up the blush and fall into step next to her hoping she didn't notice.

As much as I hate being away from Skylar, I really like the fact that I finally have people to eat with. The lunches have all been so much fun, and it feels like I have true friends for the first time ever. It's nice to have people my own age to talk to, and who actually want to talk to me. We spend the entire lunch period joking around and just having a good time.

I can tell that they all know something is going on, but none of them have even asked about it. The closest that anyone has even come was Mike taking me aside after our first lunch and telling me that if I ever need anything, no matter what it is, he will do everything in his power to help. He even went as far as to say that he won't even ask questions. I nearly started crying right there.

I'm not even paying attention to where I'm walking right now. The hallways open up when the head cheerleader walks around so I am just blindly following Santana while thinking over everything that has happened in the past few weeks. I never imagined coming back here was going to turn out to be such a good thing.

When my back hits the lockers, I finally become aware of my surroundings. We are right across from the choir room probably about halfway down the hall from the cafeteria. I look up to see who pushed me and my eyes widen in shock when I see Santana standing inches away from me with her arm still pressed against my chest holding me to the locker. My mind starts working a thousand miles per second.

What was going on? Why is she doing this? Has she decided that I am too much a basket case for her to waste her time on? Or was this all just some huge practical joke? Had it even been real?

Before any more questions could pop into my head I hear the splash of a slushy hit the back of the taller girls head. The hallway got immediately quite. My eyes get impossibly wider. She had just saved me from a slushy attack.

Santana quickly drops her arm that was pressed to my chest and swiftly turns around to face the offender. "Her or me?" She hisses.

The kid in the football jacket obviously didn't mean to hit her with it; his eyes were huge with the shock of hitting the HBIC. The slushy was most definitely meant for me.

"Wh-what?" He finally stumbles out.

"Was the slushy meant for her or me? It's a simple question, even for someone with a pea-sized brain like you."

"Obviously it was meant for her." He explains, gaining confidence. He is obviously convinced that if he admits that he hit her on accident on his way to me that it would be better for him. I'm thinking that he may be wrong, and by the gasps and whispers that made their way down the hallway I think he realizes that to.

Santana just nods her head and quickly points to some random kid in the crowd. I don't even know who the kid is, he's not a victim or a jock; he's pretty much a nobody. "You. Who is on the list of off-limits to slushies?" She ask the frighten boy.

"Y-you, B-Brittany P-Peirce..." He stutters out and I stop listening.

I don't know why she is going over this right now. The boy obviously didn't mean to slushy her. 'The List' is something that basically outlines who is not allowed to be slushied. I know that there is actually a physical list somewhere on the Internet that explicitly says everyone who is off limits. Most people check it religiously, as weird as that is, but I have never even cared to try and find it. There really is no reason for me to know whose on it, I will definitely never be slushying anyone so what's the point? The people on the list are basically just the elite at school; it is mostly filled with football players and cheerios. The only people who can adjust the list are the Head Cheerio and Football Captain. It is all very stupid, but that's McKinley for you.

I am brought back into the conversation when it looks like the kid is finally winding down.

"…Grace Martin, and Rachel Berry." He finishes and then tries to shrink back into the crowd.

What? Since when am _I_ on 'The List'? I knew that the slushies had obviously stopped, but I never expected that Santana would have taken it far enough to make it official.

"Exactly," the Latina says while rounding back to look at the jock who had slushied her. "Rachel Berry. So why is it that you were trying to slushy her then? I am assuming that you keep up with 'The List' or else you have no business holding a slushy. So are you telling me that you intentionally went against it?"

"I was told to do it! I told him that she was on 'The List' but he didn't care! He told me to do what he said! I didn't have a choice I need a football scholarship. I need to be on the team!" The boy's voice got higher and higher as his plea went on.

"You were sent to do it?" She asks and receives a nod in confirmation. "By your captain?" Another quick, definitive nod, "Hudson?" she asks just to be sure, when she receives a third nod she nods back to him.

She turns towards me for a second looking like she was contemplating something before turning back to the boy. In one flowing motion, Santana brings her knee up and kicks the football player in the groin. When the boy doubles over in pain the Latina snaps her fingers twice.

"That is for trying to slushy someone I put on 'The List'. A lot of the people on there are there because of politics, Rachel is on there because I care about her and I am protecting her. She is one of the few on there that belong there. Don't let it happen again." She hisses as two Cheerios emerge from the crowd holding a slushy each.

The blonde Cheerio hands hers to Santana first. It is quickly dumped onto the hunched over jock. "That was for slushying me. The only reason it isn't another kick to the family jewels is because it wasn't meant for me." She explains as she holds out her hand again for the second drink.

"And this one is for breaking the rules in the first place. I do not give a shit who tells you what or for what reason, you will fall in line with the rules of this school or pay the consequences." She says while dumping the last slushy.

"That goes for all of you! Follow the rules or accept the consequences, and I promise the next person who steps out of line will be dealt with more severely. I would also like to make it clear that Rachel Berry is off-limits, not just to slushies, but to _everything._ You don't have to like her but you have to respect her from now on. Understand?" She screams down the hallway, exhibiting exactly why she is Head Cheerio. It's kind of hot. No stop it Rachel!

A chorus of 'yes' flows through the hallway, before everyone quickly scurries down the hallway to their next classes.

"Do you want to just meet me in the cafe?" She asks.

"No, I'll help you clean up, come on" I say grabbing her hand and our bags, which she must have dropped before getting slushied, and lead her to the bathroom.

I can't believe that I thought that she had turned on be before, and then she went though all of that just to protect me. I am such an idiot. When am I going to learn that this is real?

Probably when it starts making sense, because right now it really doesn't. I still don't really understand why she suddenly changed her attitude towards me or why she decided she wanted to be my friend.

It doesn't really matter now, because whatever reason she has doesn't matter. As long as I have her as a friend everything is good. Not just because I'm afraid that she'll tell my secret, but because I honestly don't know where I'd be right now without Santana.

That is the main reason why I ignore every time my stomach flops when she grabs my hand or why I blush whenever she hugs me. It's the reason why I act like I feel nothing, because I can't mess this up all because of stupid feelings. Feelings that are definitely not going to be returned and that will probably be made fun of.

I think that would be the worst, being made fun of on top of being turned down. It's bad, but if Santana decided for some reason to go back to vindictively making fun of me, I don't know if I would be able to handle it. I don't know what I'd do.

"Where'd you go?" Santana asks while waving her hand in front of my face.

I look around and realize that we made it all the way to the bathroom without me noticing.

"Just thinking, sorry. Come on lets get you cleaned up. Do you have a slushy kit?"

"Yea Rae," She starts laughing, "We picked it up on the way here."

Really? How had I missed that?

"Oh yea right. So why don't you sit down in the chair and I'll wash out your hair and then you can change." I offer.

"Sure, but you don't have to help if you don't want to. You can go to the cafe and meet up with Britt and Chang Squared, they are probably wondering where we are anyway."

"I guarantee they heard what happened Santì." She smiles at the nickname I had started calling her about a week ago; it stuck.

"Gossip travels quicker than air in this place." I say as I push her into the chair she just set up with a smile of my own firmly planted on my face.

"True, but still, I can handle this if you want to go."

"Oh stop, you know there's no where I'd rather be than with you. Well other than with Skylar obviously. Actually my ideal place is with both of you." I ramble on before I even realize what is coming out of my mouth. Crap, stupid mouth.

"Good to know." She says with a look on her face that I can't decipher. Her lips are in a position between and smirk and a smile, it's kind of disheartening, actually.

"For the record mine too." She adds while looking up at me awkwardly since her head is half in the sink.

"You too what?" I ask confused.

"My favorite place is with you and Sky."

I beam down at her, but then it turns into an incredulous frown.

"2 minutes cuddle time." She says, but I completely ignore it.

"What about Brittany?"

"What do you mean?" She looks at me with confusion evident on her face.

"Isn't your favorite place with Brittany?" I ask as my eyes focus solely on her hair.

"I mean I love having 'Best-Friend Time' with Britt, but we haven't done it much lately. I'm always with you and she's always with Artie."

Brittany is still with Artie? How did I not know that?

"Don't feel like you have to give up time with Brittany to hang out with me and Skylar, Santana. You are free to hang out with who ever you want. You should get to do whatever you want without being tied down to me and my daughter."

"I'm not tied down to anything. I want to be with you guys."

"Yea but it must get kind of frustrating." I say without even thinking.

My body wanting things it can't have is starting to rub off on my impression of other people's lives obviously.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, just forget it."

"No Rae what did you mean by that?" She asks as she sits up and lets her sopping wet hair hang down dripping water all over herself.

"I'm just saying that I know that you and Brittany used to be… close. I don't want to have you feel like you can't be... close because you have to hang out with me and Skylar."

"What? Rachel I _just _told you that I'm not hanging out with you because I am being forced to. I _want _to hang out with you; I _choose_ to hang out with you. On a _completely_ unrelated note, Brittany and I are just friends, I don't know why you think otherwise, but we are definitely not together. Britt is with Artie."

"Come on Santana, you don't know why I think that you guys are more than just friends? Everyone in school knows that you sleep together, it's not much of a secret." I say and I can hear the jealousy seeping into my voice. At this point though I don't care. I don't understand why she is trying to deny this.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" She asks angrily.

"It's not supposed to mean anything, it's just what it is. It's no big secret that you and Brittany are involved. The entire school knows Santana, Brittany has never been shy about telling people."

"The school doesn't know shit about me!" When did she get so mad? How did this go from me helping her clean up to me making her this angry?

"You have no clue what you are talking about! I know what people say about me, and what they say about my relationship with Brittany, but their wrong! Brittany and I slept together a grand total of two times. The first time we were drunk and the second time I was trying to figure out what the hell I was feeling. Once Brittany got with Artie, we never even once contemplated hooking up again! I am not a cheater! Slut and bitch, yes but not a cheater!"

She is seething. I don't know what to do right now. How could I fuck up so bad? "I expected you of all people to not jump to conclusions. I thought I could at least trust you to not judge me like the other idiots in this school! You of all people should know that things aren't always what they appear!" With that she stomped out of the bathroom and left me there.

Alone.

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><p><strong>I know, I know! please don't hurt me! I didnt realize it was going to happen until it was written I swear! It just wrote itself! <strong>

**Please review! even though i know you all hate right now!**


	11. Chapter 11

**So this chapter is way shorter than I expected it to be.. but i needed to separate this one from the next one so there wasn't anything i could really do.. Although it was only going to be 3500 words at first, but my beta convinced me to add the last part in :)**

**You guys are amazing! I don't even know what to say, the amount of favorites, alerts, and reviews for this is unbelievable and i cant thank you all enough..**

**Thanks to me awesome beta GE0309! this chapter would probably suck without her and it would definitely be really short.**

**I also want to say a shout-out to RUMad! If you haven't read her fics you should definitely go and do that!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the show.. :/**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 11<strong>_

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I'm fighting back tears. I can't believe that Rachel just said that to me! She basically just called me a slut. My heart feels like it's ripping apart right now. Is that what she really thinks about me?

Sure I've slept with more people than a normal high schooler should have, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt when someone calls me a whore. Her calling me it just makes it hurt even worse.

The worse part is that I haven't slept with anyone since she came back. In fact, it's been even longer than that. After Brittany told me that I liked Rachel, I called Puckerman up and tried to prove Britt wrong. That was the last person I slept with, and I'm not even sure that counts since I started crying in the middle of it and we never technically finished. Instead, Puck pulled out and held me while I cried, no questions asked.

Speaking of Puck, he is walking right for me. I swear that kid has radar for when I'm upset. Whenever I feel like shit, he just materializes. It's actually a little creepy.

As he gets closer I can see that his face is screwed up in anger. I have a feeling that this isn't about him helping me after all. Why does he look so angry?

"I told you not to hurt her!" He snaps when he gets close enough to me.

"What are you talking about?" My voice is filled with emotions that I am still trying to beat down. I can't cry, and I certainly can't cry in the middle of the hallway.

"Rachel. I told you to leave her alone. I told you that she didn't need it, but you couldn't leave it alone! Instead you just keep pushing and continue to gain her trust and then you do something that leaves her in tears, just like I thought you would."

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything!" I exclaim as I start losing the battle with my emotions. My eyes are filling with tears and it's becoming painful for me to keep them in. Still I don't let them fall.

"I saw you leave the bathroom Santana! I watched you walk out, and when I walked past it I could hear sobbing coming from inside! I know her cries anywhere! I have heard them to many times not to! Fuck San I walked into the girl's bathroom and found her a mess on the floor! She wouldn't even move. All she kept saying was 'I knew it' and 'she's gone'! You're the only person she could be talking about! How could you do that? I actually thought you cared about her!" He continues to scream at me, but I stop listening.

I can't believe I just left her alone in the bathroom. I knew that she has abandonment issues, and yet I still walked away from her just because I was angry. How stupid can I be?

I finally let the tears fall.

"Where is she now?" I ask desperately.

"Why the hell should I tell you? It's your fault she's like this."

"PUCK GOD DAMN IT WHERE IS SHE!" I scream, not caring that we are in the middle of the hallway.

"I couldn't get her to leave the bathroom. I was going to go get Tina, since it seems like they have been getting close lately. I think it's best that I get her still. I think you've done enough Santana."

"You don't know a god damn think Puckerman, so don't come at me like you do. You have been nowhere to be seen these last few weeks. You can't just come in here at the last minute and save the day, it doesn't work like that." I spit out before taking off towards the bathroom I just left.

My heart was pounding in my chest when I reach the bathroom door. Just like Puck described, you can clearly hear heart-wrenching sobs coming from inside the bathroom. I take a deep breath and try to stem my own tears before reaching for the doorknob.

The sight I am met with on the other side of the door is heart breaking. Rachel was just sitting on the floor in the center of the bathroom looking completely defeated. Her entire body was shaking with sobs and her face looked as if she wasn't even breathing because her face was bright red.

I quickly made my way to her and dropped to my knees in front of her. She didn't even acknowledge my presence, she just kept crying. I quickly cup her cheeks and force her to look at me.

"Rae, I know your hurt and I know that your sad, but I need for you to calm down and breathe for me ok." Her eyes were still unfocused and it was like she wasn't even hearing me. I am just getting more and more worried by every passing second.

"Rachel, please look at me. Come on Rae, breathe Sweetie." I didn't even mean for the word to leave my mouth, but in this moment I am glad I did because Rachel's eyes pop up to meet mine.

Although she doesn't stop crying, or even start breathing, at least now she is looking at me and she doesn't look so lost.

"Ok Rae, that's it. Now I need you to breathe. Take a deep breath in and let it out. Come on Rachel, you have to do this. If you don't your going to pass out." As I finish my sentence, Rachel's body goes limp and she slumps forward into me.

"Like that." I mutter as I maneuver her so that she is laying on her back with her head in my lap. I reach in my backpack and try and find a water bottle or anything I could use to help, but I can't find anything useful.

As I start cursing under my breath, I hear the door open behind me. I meant to lock that. I turn around to tell the person to get the hell out of here when I see Tina with a shocked look on her face.

"T, don't just stand there!"

"What happened? Puck told me that you hurt her and that I had to come make sure she was ok."

"Do you think I really hurt her? I mean, ok, I kinda did, but it was on accident. You believe me don't you?" I ask earnestly, because even though I would totally deny it if asked, Chang Squared's opinion mattered to me now. We had been spending so much time with them at school that I started to truly see them as friends. Wow Rachel has already made me soft and were just friends. Geez I'm in trouble.

"I know that you wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt Rachel, Santana. I heard what happened in the hallway before lunch today, why would you do that right before doing this to her? But what happened?" She asks as she steps into the room more.

"It's a really long story and I can't really explain it without getting into things that I can't get into, but I promise you that I didn't hurt her on purpose. I was hurt myself and I wasn't thinking and I inadvertently hurt her in the process."

"But how did she pass out?"

"She was crying so hard she couldn't breathe. It's a mess, but can you get me a wet paper towel please."

I don't know what to tell her, I have seen Rachel work herself up so much that she stops breathing before, not that it has ever gotten to this point before, but this is all new to Tina, and I don't know how to explain the situation to her without telling her about Rachel's past. Luckily Tina is taking this all in stride. I wonder how she's going to take it when I tell her to get out? She can't be in here when Rachel wakes up. We need to have a conversation that will be way to telling for anyone else to be in the room.

"Here," She says as she hands me the paper towel. I throw her an appreciative smile while draping the rag over Rachel's forehead.

"T, I know this is going to sound weird, and rude, but I need you to go now." I say honestly.

"Is she going to be ok?" She asks. I genuinely don't know why Mike and Tina got ignored and pushed aside for so long, they are amazing friends. It's been two weeks and neither of them has asked unwanted questions.

"Yea, I got her, thanks. I'll text you to let you know how she is in a little bit."

"Ok, thanks. Text if you need anything." She says as she starts to leave the room.

Once she is gone, I go about trying to wake Rachel up. "Come on Rae, it's time to wake up." I say as I start to wipe her face with the damp, cool paper towel.

About a minute later, the shorter girl's eyes start to flutter, before they finally fully open.

"What happened?" She asks looking up at me. "You left. Why are you here?"

I look down at her regrettably, "You had a panic attack and passed out. I am so sorry I left you here, I was just angry and I handled it wrong. Rae just because I walked away didn't mean that I left you. I am never going to leave you; I just needed sometime to myself. But that's not an excuse for me storming out like that, I should have known better than to do that." I explain while running my hands through her hair.

"It's fine." She says dismissively as she sits up. "I shouldn't have freaked out like that, it was completely understandable that you left me. I said terrible things to you, and even though I didn't mean them the way they sounded, you had every reason to want to leave." She says as if she had completely missed my first statement.

"Rachel, I wasn't leaving you. Well physically I had left you, but emotionally I wasn't going anywhere. I was just mad and handled it badly."

"No San, it's fine. Thank you for ensuring that I was ok, but I'm fine now. You can go eat lunch with your friends now."

It had taken me weeks to build up her security in me, and only minutes to knock it down. I have to fix this.

"Well if you want to go have lunch with _our _friends, then I will definitely go with you, but if not then I'll go wherever you want to go. It's your call Rae."

"I'm fine, there is no need for you to stay with me." She says in an irritated tone.

"I'm not going anywhere Rae. Why don't we spend the rest of the day at your house? We can go to the nurse and tell her you passed out in the bathroom and just explain that I need to make sure your ok, I'm sure that she'll let both of us leave."

"Santana, you made it clear that you didn't want to be around me, just because I had a panic attack doesn't change that! I refuse to be some charity case! So just go!" She screams.

"I'm not going anywhere Rachel, and not because I think you're a 'charity case' but because you're my best friend and I can see that you're in pain and I refuse to leave you like this. So get over it and decide what you want to do."

"I want to be alone! I want you to leave me alone."

Her words caused me actual physical pain. It felt like she had ripped my heart out. For Rachel to actually choose to be alone was bad. Since we became friends, she tried to keep me as close as possible whenever possible. I loved it.

Now she is telling me to leave her alone. I don't understand it. Sure I walked away from her, and I didn't expect for her to greet me back with open arms, except I kind of did, but why doesn't she want me around at all now? I mean if we are being honest, I should still be the one who is pissed here; she was still the one who hurt me first.

It's then that I realize what is going on here.

"Your words hurt me Rachel, they hurt a lot actually –" She cuts me off before I can finish my thought.

"I know Santana, ok? I don't need you to explain it to me. That is why I'm giving you an out. Just take it and go please." She says turning around so that she doesn't have to watch me 'leave'.

I just stare at her back for a minute, because she really is thick sometimes. I then walk over to the door to lock it so that no one interrupts this. I see her visibly stiffen when she hears my retreating footsteps, thinking that I was leaving again. I watch as her shoulders start to shake, as she begins to cry again. I quickly lock the door and move back over to her.

The second she is in arms reach, I grab onto her waist and turn her to face me and crash her into my chest in a hug. I hold her tightly as she wraps her arms around my waist and starts to cry harder.

"Rae, just listen ok? Don't interrupt, just listen." I explain and wait to continue until I feel her nod her head against my chest, clinging on even tighter.

"Your words really hurt me, I know the school thinks I'm a slut. Honestly I don't care about that, because I don't care about any of them. But you? I care about you more than you can possibly know Rachel, so what you said was kind of like a stab in the heart for me.

"That being said, there is nothing that you could _ever _do or say that will get me to leave. You could tell me that I'm the ugliest, meanest, sluttiest, whatever-ist person you know, and while I may be hurt for a little bit, I will always come back to you. Unless you explicably tell me that you don't want me around anymore, I will always be here. And even then I would put up a fight." I say while taking a step back to look directly in her eyes.

"Rae, I will always be here for you, no matter what…" I say as I cup her cheek. We stare into each other's eyes quietly for a few painstaking moments, and I watch confusion and hurt and something else I can't name swirl around in her deep chocolate eyes. She then takes a few steps away from me without breaking the eye contact.

"I'm damaged, Santana." She says simply, as if that was going to change everything.

"I don't care." I answer back without missing a beat.

Her eyes soften and she looks at me with so much sincerity that I want to cry.

"I'm damaged, and because of that I lash out when threatened. That means that I can't control my actions; I can't control my words when that happens. I am going to continue to say stupid things that hurt you when I'm scared, and I don't want to be the person who hurts you. Especially since you're the person who keeps putting me back together, the only person who seems to know where all the pieces of my puzzle go. How is it fair to you that while you keep helping me, I keep hurting you? It's not fair to you Santana. You deserve better than that, you deserve someone who isn't damaged."

"Who cares who I _'deserve'_, I _want_ you." I say as I take a step closer while maintaining eye contact.

"It's not fair of me to expect you to help carry my baggage."

"You're not expecting anything of me Rachel, that's where the difference is. That's what makes you so different. That's what makes me _want _to carry your baggage."

"Santana, I won't let you let me drag you down! I lo- care about you too much to let you do that!"

_Wait…what was she about to say? It sounded like…no that's crazy, there's no way that she was going to say that! _

"What were you going to say?" I ask. I have to be sure.

"What?" She asks, even though it's obvious that she knows what I'm talking about.

"You started to say something but cut yourself off. What where you going to say?" I press as I take another step closer.

"It's nothing. "

"It's not nothing."

"It's stupid."

"What was it?"

"I – "

Someone cuts her off by banging loudly on the door. Whoever it is, is about to get a beat down.

"Rach are you ok?" Puck yells from the other side of the door.

I let out a huff as Rachel lets out a sigh. Whether it is out of relief or irritation, I'm not sure.

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

How that conversation turned so quickly is beyond me, but I have never been so grateful for Noah in my life. I quickly move away from Santana, taking notice to how close we had gotten for the first time, and go to open the door.

"I'm fine Noah, thank you for checking up on me." I say as I quickly move into his embrace. I can't help but notice that I do not find the same comfort in his arms as I do with Santana.

When I move away from Noah I can see him surveying the room. His gaze stops moving when his eyes land on the Latina still standing where I left her in the middle of the room. I follow his line of sight and take in what he is staring at.

Santana's shoulders are slumped as she stands there with a defeated look on her face. It is still easy to see that she has been crying.

"Everything ok in here?" Noah asks no one in particular, but his eyes never leave Santana.

"Everything is peachy Puckerman, although it would be better if you learned that this is the girls bathroom." She says sarcastically.

Noah raises both his hands in defense, "Ok jeez, I was just looking after my Jewish- American Princess here."

"I told you I had her didn't I? Plus you sent in Tina to check to make sure I wasn't hurting her. Was that not enough? Do you honestly still think this is some cruel practical joke? Do you really think that little of me?" She started off in a conversational, if not snappy tone, but ended up basically screaming.

"I don't know what to think San, because I thought before that I could trust you with her. But then I witnessed you leaving her in a sobbing mess on the floor so I really don't know what to expect from you anymore!" He matches her volume.

"I made a mistake Puck. Humans do that once in a while!"

"Yea well forgive me for sometimes thinking that you're not completely human! If you were able to torture her for so long before, what is going to stop you from doing it now?" He screams.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! Noah, you have no right to talk to her like that, or to bring her past actions into this. What happened in the past doesn't matter, I have forgiven her a long time ago, and that's all that matters. I will not allow you to come in here and interrupt a important conversation just to yell at her and bring her down!"

"I'm just trying to protect you Rach, I'm trying to help."

"And I appreciate that Noah, but you're not helping. You're not helping anyone. So please just leave it alone."

"Fine. Lunch is almost halfway over, if you guys want to eat you'd better wrap this up and come eat." He says before walking away with his shoulders slumped as well. What is wrong with me that I keep upsetting all of my friends?

"Don't listen to anything he said San. He was wrong." I say while walking over to where she is still standing and I wrap my arms around her waist. She quickly reciprocates the embrace and holds on tightly.

"We should go get lunch." She whispers into my hair, but doesn't make any attempt to move out of the embrace.

Finally, when I decide that we should really go since I am hungry and I can hear her stomach rumbling also, I pull back out of the hug. I let my hand slide down her arm to her hand. I then use the hand to pull her towards the door.

When we get out into the hallway I try to drop my hand to my side, but she just holds on tighter. I look over at her and then down at our linked hands and softly smile. I then look back up to her eyes and interlock our fingers nervously. When I see Santana smile, my nervousness dissipates and I let the warm tingles I get whenever I hold her hand take over.

We took our time walking to the cafeteria, even though we were about to miss out on eating, we just wanted to spend some more time alone together.

Once we finally got into the cafeteria, we find the table that Mike, Tina, Brittany and Noah are sitting at. I should have assumed that mohawked boy would sit here today after all the drama. As we get closer, I can see that Mike and Tina have worried looks on their faces. I send them smile to let them know that I am ok.

When Santana and I drop our stuff at the table, we see that there are already trays of food on the table in our normal seats. We look up to see what was going on and Mike just gave us a sheepish smile.

"Puck said you were on your way back so I figured I'd save you some time so that you actually have time to eat." He explains with a shrug. He is seriously so sweet.

We both sit down and hum our thanks. When we let go of each other's hands, we compensate for the loss of contact by sitting close enough for our thighs to touch. When I felt our upper legs make contact, it sent a shiver through my body. Great, this fight seems to have done nothing to quell my feelings for the other girl.

"So where were you guys during our free period? We went to the auditorium after the bell first rang to see if you wanted to catch lunch out today, but you weren't there. Which was strange because you guys always hang out there during free." Mike asks breaking the silence.

They must have gotten there while I was still waiting for Santana outside of Sue's office, otherwise we would have seen them. What are we going to tell them? It's probably not best that they find out about our meeting.

"Having a meeting with Shelby." Santana says as if it were nothing. I quickly swing my hand over and slap her arm. "Ow, what?" she asks annoyed as she rubs her arm.

"Really Lopez, that hurt you?" Puck jokes.

"Shut it Puckerman," I snap at him, I am quite over him teasing Santana today. He raises his hands and looks down at the table.

"Why were you meeting with Shelby though? Is she back to cause trouble." Mike asks.

As if Noah hadn't heard that part of the conversation before, his head snaps up at the second mention of Shelby, "Is Beth back too?"

"Of course Beth is back too you idiot. How the hell would Shelby come back without her baby?" Santana asks with an eye roll.

Santana then look over at me with furrowed brows, as if to ask if she can tell the rest of the story without receiving another slap. I guess she understands why I hit her now. I roll my eyes at her.

"My birth mother came back to start up a new show choir group here. Apparently it was Coach Sylvester's idea. Sue is planning on forcing all of the Cheerio's into the group and Shelby was asking if I would be interested in joining also." I say while looking down at the table ashamed. I may not like a majority of the kids in New Directions, but I still do care about a few of them, and my joining a rival glee club is definitely going to affect them.

"Why do you look like you're upset about it? Isn't that a good thing? Now you have somewhere to sing without being abused at the same time. Right?" Tina asks.

"I just thought that you guys might be mad since I am going to be joining a club that is basically set up to destroy your group." I explain without taking my eyes off the table.

I watch out of the corner of my eye as Santana drops the fork she was holding and lowers her hand under the table. I then feel, rather than see, her place her hand on my lower thigh and squeeze reassuringly.

"Is it an all girls group?" Mike asks.

"I don't believe so, why?" I ask confused.

Mike and Tina turn towards each other and start having what looks like a silent conversation. How do they do that?

When they turn back to the rest of us they have huge smiles on their faces. "We want to join…" Mike and Tina exclaim together but die off when they realize they don't know what the name of the group is.

"Whatever the group is called!" Mike finishes with just as much enthusiasm as before.

"What?" I ask still confused.

"We want to join! The only reason that we stayed in New Directions after you left was because I love to sing and even though I don't get to do it much there, at least I do sometimes." Tina explained. "I would much rather be in a glee club that you guys are a part of!" She finishes while bouncing up and down in her chair.

"Seriously? That would be awesome! And I promise I will make sure that you get more solos this time around!" I say getting just as excited as the others. I am able to block out the aspects of joining the club that still has me nervous about the whole thing.

"I want to join too!" Noah says from where he is sitting. "Do you think that Shelby would be ok with me being around?" he asks a little more deflated than he was a second ago.

"I'm sure she would be fine with it, but if you don't think so just go and talk to her." I tell him and he nods his head and starts to get up from the table.

"I'm going to go see if I can find her and then I'm going to tell Shue that I quit." He explains as he starts to walk away.

"We're going to go with him!" Both Tina and Mike exclaim before getting up from the table and running after Noah.

How did that just happen? How did we go from having three singers and a group of back up dancers to having half of New Directions in the new club? I'm not complaining since I couldn't be happier that all of my friends are now singing with me rather than against me, but still it's a little surreal.

"B, what's wrong?" I hear Santana say and it snaps me out my musings**.**

I focus back in on the table and look at the girl Santana was just talking to. Brittany is sitting directly across from us with a huge pout on her face.

"Why didn't I get to join the club? Do you guys not love me anymore?" She ask in a small childish voice.

"Britt-Britt, you were already in the club. I told you all that Coach Sylvester is making all of the Cheerios join. Plus I assumed that you would want to join with us anyway since you quit New Direction with us." I explain. Her pout instantly turned into a huge smile.

"Awesome! This will be great!" She says while getting up from her seat and grabbing her tray.

"Where are you going B?" Santana asks.

"To go talk to Shelby and quit New Directions, Duh!" She says while making her way to the trashcan.

"B you already quit New Directions!" Santana tried to yell after her, but it's no use, the bubbly girl is already out of the cafeteria.

I can't help to giggle at her antics. "Maybe she wants to dig the knife in a little more for Mr. Shue." I say with another giggle.

"Maybe," Santana responds as she turns to look at me, still making sure that at least her knee is touching me. "We need to talk Rae."

I look down because I knew that that was coming. How could I almost let that slide. Obviously she knew what I was about to say. She is probably going to tell me that she doesn't feel comfortable being friends with me anymore.

Hopefully she still wants to spend time with Skylar though, because Sky loves her. She always lights up whenever the Latina walks through the door.

"Can we not talk about this in the cafeteria please. Can we just wait until we get back to my house?" I ask. "If you're even planning on still coming back to my house." I add and look down.

Santana reaches forward and raises my chin with two fingers. "Yea that's fine, we'll talk at your house. But you're not getting out of this conversation later, Rae. We need to talk." She says as the bell rings and the room around us turns into chaos as everyone tries to get out of the room.

"I know," I respond before picking up my tray and getting lost in the herds of people.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you all liked it! the 'talk' will be in the next chapter I promise!<strong>

**Please let me know what you all think!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Not much to say about this chapter... I hope you like it :/ There's more Shelby and more Shue.. a little bit of the new glee club.. a bit more drama.. a little bit of something for everyone haha**

**Were also back to starting with Rachel's POV!**

**Huge thanks to my beta GE0309. You are absolutely amazing, and I really could not do this without you!**

**So I am giving you all a heads up now.. I have work tomorrow so I can almost guarantee that there will not be an update until I get home at 4 EST.. I realize that I've been updating earlier in the day, but there's nothing I can really do :/ but there still will be an update tomorrow!**

**Disclaimer: Glee = not mine... Skylar = mine.. glad we got that cleared up**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 12<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

I go through my next three classes in a fog. I have been dreading the conversation with Santana since lunch, and I really wish there was a way out of it. I know that I am being a little overdramatic, but I really don't want to lose Santana's friendship. Whenever I'm around her it feels like there has been a weight lifted off my shoulders, and I know that once she leaves that weight is going to come barreling back down onto my shoulders tenfold.

I am currently sitting in my eighth period math class not paying attention in the least. I could not even tell you what topic we are coving today. I am only brought out of my musings when I hear my name being called.

"Ms. Berry!" Yea his tone doesn't sound like that this is the first time he's called my name. Oops. When I finally look up at him he continues, "Ms. Corcoran here would like to speak to you outside. Seeing as you are not paying attention to my class anyway, I see no problem with it." He says in a disapproving tone. I just smile sheepishly at him before gathering my things to leave.

When I make eye contact with Shelby, she has an eyebrow raised and an amused look on her face. I just roll my eyes at her as we walk out of the classroom.

"I thought you were a straight A student," She voice filled with mirth.

"I am, but everyone has their off days." I say annoyed at being pulled out of class to be made fun of.

"I guess that's true."

"Did you need something?" I realize how rude I'm being right now, but I can't be bothered to care right now. She should have picked a better time to try and talk to me.

"Wow, what crawled up your butt since the last time I talked to you?" She asked even more amused. As her amusement goes up, my fuse grows shorter.

"Honestly? What kind of parent talks to their kid like that?"

She seems taken aback by that. I realize now why.

"Alright you're not in the mood to joke, noted. But you said that you weren't ready for the parent daughter relationship thing yet, so technically I'm not your parent. I was trying to be your friend but if you're not ready for that either, than I apologize." She explains looking down.

I instantly feel guilty. I still may not be completely comfortable with her presence, but that's not a reason to make her feel even worse about everything.

"I'm sorry Shelby, I have a lot going on in my head right now, but that's not an excuse. What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"It's fine. I was just checking to make sure that everyone who came to join the club is ok with you, I don't know exactly what happened to make you quit New Directions, but I have a pretty good idea. I don't want to allow anyone in the club who has caused problems for you before. So far I have Brittany, Santana, Mike, Tina, and Noah. Are they all ok?"

"Yea they are all perfect. Have you talked to Mr. Shue about this yet?"

"No, and I plan on avoiding it as long as possible. I am not doing anything wrong here. I was offered a job and I took it. I did not seek his members out, they all came to me."

"No need to convince me, I was just wondering if he had attacked you yet. And believe me, he will."

"No not yet." She says as she starts walking down the hallway while tilting her head to tell me to follow.

"I told everyone that today was the first practice. I figured that Mondays and Wednesdays would be the best days to practice as a group and then I could take the others on Thursdays." She explains. I stop in my tracks forcing her to turn and look at me.

"I can't do it today."

I didn't think she would expect us to start immediately. I didn't go home for lunch today, there is no way that I could stay here an extra two hours too. Sky may be doing better about me staying at school for lunch, but when I do get home on those days she is always extra clingy. I can't do that to her.

"Why can't you do it today?"

"I just can't Shelby!" I tell her in a raised voice.

I am not trying to be rude with her again, but I can't exactly explain to her why I need to go home either.

"I don't understand. Do your fathers need you home right from school? I can get someone to call them and explain it to them if you need me to, but I kind of need my captain at the first practice Rachel."

Captain? When did I agree to be captain?

"Who said that I was captain?"

"I just figured that you and Santana would like to be captains since you two were the first members in the club who could actually sing. Plus you guys were the ones to bring in more members." She explains with furrowed brows.

I can tell that she thought that I would be happy to be captain, but to me it just sounds like more work, and less time with my daughter. She is right though, it makes the most sense for San and I to be co-captains. If we want to win, we need to work for it, and with my experience and Santana's leadership, we could definitely take Nationals.

"Fine, I'll be captain, but I really don't think I can come today. Santana should be able to go, but I have other obligations." I try to explain.

"When I got here this morning, I thought I saw you and Santana get here together." It was more a question then a statement, and I realize that she was right. San drove me to school this morning. I can't leave until she does and we both can't miss this meeting.

"How about instead of having a practice today, I'll just make it a short meeting. I could use the time to explain what is going to happen and everything, and then you can leave." Shelby offers.

I think this over, and it sounds like the best compromise we're going to find.

"Fine, but I can only stay for a half hour. After that I'm leaving, whether you're done or not." I tell her as I whip out my cell phone to text Barb and explain that I had to stay after for a little while. While I had my phone out, I sent a text to Santana letting her know about the meeting.

"Alright." She said as we walk down the hallway.

At least this is giving me a little extra time to think about what I want to say to Santana.

"Um- where are we going?" I finally ask when we make what seems like the 100th turn.

"The only office they had available for me was in the far back part of the school. Figgins is working on finding me a closer office, but since I don't actually teach any classes here, I guess I'm not too high on his priority list." She explains as she finally comes to a stop in front of an office door.

I look around, and realize I had somehow never seen this part of the building. Oh! That's where the tech room is! Who knew?

We sit on opposite sides of her desk and start to talk about the new club. We decide that it should be called the Trouble Tones since the club is made up of mostly Cheerios who can't really sing. Plus we figure that it may make our competitors underestimate us. We were deciding exactly how we wanted to handle the voice lessons for the underdeveloped Cheerios when there was a loud knock at the door.

"Come in." Shelby yells over the persistent banging.

"Shelby, what do you think you're doing? Starting-" Mr. Shuester starts before spotting me sitting in the chair across from Shelby. "I should have assumed that you had something to do with this!" He yells.

How did this turn into my fault?

"I had nothing to do with her coming back! I was just asked if I wanted to join." I tell him offended.

"Yea right Rachel. You were upset that your teammates didn't want you on the team anymore so you ran to mommy dearest to help you out!" He accuses.

Honestly it's like this guy doesn't even know how to be a teacher. Who talks to their students like that? Plus he couldn't be more wrong about my relationship with Shelby. It is like he doesn't even listen to his students. That's not true actually; he listens to Finn and Quinn usually.

"Excuse me, who do you think you're talking to? She is your student Will, since when is it ok to talk to students like that?" Shelby asks while standing so that she is more at Mr. Shue's height.

Mr. Shue for his part managed to look a little guilty.

"I'm sorry, but she is just using this as an way to get back at New Directions for dumping her. Rachel you have to understand that you can't just leave for a year and then come back and expect everything to be the same." He tries to explain as if that excuse makes up for his past actions.

Before I can even speak, Shelby jumps in, "Why did she leave Will?"

Again I move to speak and Shelby just holds her hand up to stop me. For some reason the simple action causes me to close my mouth. My brows furrow with confusion because of the action. Barely anyone can get me to shut up that easily.

"What? Well she left because… She disappeared do to…" The Spanish teacher stumbled out. I realize now what she is doing.

"Exactly. You have no clue what happened in her life to force her to leave, but that didn't matter to you. You allowed your students to talk to her like she was garbage and for what? Because she had more important things to worry about than you and your stupid little club. You are all just pissed because you lost last year to two crap teams." Shelby starts to ramble on.

"Learn to be a teacher Will, because if you don't, I will report you so quickly that you wont know what hit you." She hisses out getting straight in his face.

"Do I make myself clear?" She spits out.

"Yes." Shue says while taking a few steps back until his back hits a wall.

"Good, now get out of my office."

Now I understand why Vocal Adrenaline used to be so good. Shelby is scary!

"No, I won't leave. I apologize for my behavior Rachel, but that doesn't mean that this conversation is over! Not only are you starting an entirely new glee club in the same school as me, but you are also stealing my members! I had three students plus Brittany, come to me to tell me that they were quitting today. I can only guess where they went! I'm assuming that your group got 3 members bigger today?"

"Well strictly speaking my club only started today so we gained more than just 3 members." She says cockily.

"What's even the point, Shelby? You'll ever be able to pull together enough members in time. Why don't we just put the past behind us and everybody can come back to New Directions. Even you Rachel. You may not be able to be lead anymore, but we can definitely find a place for you. This way, everyone is happy and everyone can compete."

Is he serious right now? Could he be any more condescending?

"Actually, we already have more than enough members to compete." Shelby says in a barely masked mocking tone.

"How is that even possible Shelby? You just became a group not even eight hours ago." The teacher asks incredulously.

"Well, we currently have Rachel, Santana, Brittany, Tina, Mike, and Noah," she counts off using her fingers just to mock Shue and rub it in his face. I just smirk at her antics. "Plus we also have all of the Cheerios that Sue thinks can use extra help with their singing and dancing. So that brings us to like 40." She finishes with a triumphant smirk.

Shue's jaw hit the ground. "I should have known that Sue was behind this." He says with a shake of the head. He then turned to me with a determined look on his face. "You're willing to help Sue bring down the glee club? You're willing to let her win?"

"Sue isn't bothering me, she is actually helping me. You refuse to allow me to sing anyway so why should I even care if New Directions is around anymore. And honestly, even with Mike, Tina, and Noah, who you would never have given a solo to anyway, you were not going to make it to Nationals. Regionals would even be a long shot. In order to even have had enough members to compete you would have had to do something stupid like force the band to join you; their talent wouldn't have been enough. You were going to lose regardless, we are just helping the process along a little." I say adopting the same cocky expression Shelby was sporting. Like mother-like daughter I guess.

Normally I would not be that vindictive, especially after Skylar was born, but he is really getting on my last nerve. If he wants to act all high and mighty then I see no problem serving it back. At least we have something to be cocky about.

"Now if you could excuse us William, my captain and I have a lot to discuss." Shelby says while opening the door for him.

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><p><strong>Santana's POV <strong>

As I passed the choir room on my way to the auditorium for the meeting, I glance in to see how New Directions is taking the news. It turns out to be a bad idea though, because Kurt ends up seeing me and making his way towards the door with the rest of the members, all four of them. They look so pathetic that I have to keep from laughing.

"What is your problem? How could you do this to us?" Kurt yells in a high-pitched voice.

"I didn't do anything to anyone. You are the ones that wanted Rachel out, now you are living with the consequences." I explain nonchalantly.

"You are doing this on purpose! You just want to see us fail!" Finn yells.

"While it is true that I will enjoy seeing you losers fail, I did not do anything. This is all Sue's doing, I am just following orders and helping my friend out. This really has nothing to do with you, even though you will refuse to see it that way." She said as she turns on her heels and tries to walk away.

"It's going to be pathetic when we still beat you at Sectionals." Quinn yells after me. I just completely ignore her.

If New Directions managed to beat us, it would definitely be pathetic, but it is also impossible. At this point they probably won't even be competing, but even if they did, we still have six of their best members on our side.

I get into the auditorium and find that Shelby is standing on the stage with Rachel and everyone else is sitting in the seats. I move to sit next to Brittany when I hear Rachel call me up to the stage. Her voice is still small as if she is trying not to bring my attention to her.

I was so happy when it first sounded like she was about to say that she loved me, but now I feel like it was probably a bad thing. I would prefer us being friends who are comfortable with each other to this.

I run up onto the stage and stand directly next to the smaller brunette so that our arms are skimming each other. I feel her tremble next to me.

"What's up?" I ask, still confused as to what I'm doing up here.

"You're co-captain." Rachel says simply. I give her a dumbfounded look. How did that even happen?

"Don't look at me like that," she continues with a giggle.

The giggle sounds like music to my ears, just as it does every time I hear it. I was afraid that it was going to take a while to hear it again.

"Shelby decided because we helped to bring in more members that we should be co-captains together. Plus all the cheerios respect you so it would be easier." She explains and I concede since that makes sense.

"Alright, what do I have to do?"

"Nothing right now, we are just introducing ourselves, well me really since everyone already knows both of you, explaining the practice schedule, and then welcoming everyone to the Trouble Tones." Shelby says beaming. It's obvious that she has missed coaching glee.

"Trouble Tones?" I ask

"Yea since most of the Cheerios are here to fix their voices anyway." Rachel says with a beam that matches Shelby's. It's actually kind of creepy how similar they look right now.

The meeting went by pretty quickly, and before we knew it we were on our way out the door. Rachel had grabbed my hand and was basically pulling me out the door. She barely gave me time to say goodbye to everyone. I knew that she was having severe separation anxiety right now, so I let it go and just followed her.

The car ride is quite. Rachel has been consistently bouncing her leg since she sat down; I don't know if she was doing it out of nervousness for our conversation or anxiety of getting to Skylar. Either way I put my hand on her knee and squeeze gently to try and calm her down.

At the contact her leg instantly stops moving and I can see her head snap towards me. I was about to lift my hand up thinking that I crossed the invisible line, the one that had become apparent when I told her we were going to talk, but instead I felt her hand cover mine. I smile without taking my eyes off the road, and turn my hand over so that we are properly holding hands. She quickly interlocks our fingers. My smile gets even bigger, if that's possible.

When we pull up to the house, Rachel flees the car and flies into the house. By the time I can even get into the house, the baby is already in her arms.

Skylar is actually crying right now, which never happens. Usually the minute she is in her mother's arms her tears stop. It astounds me how Skylar can even tell that they were apart for longer than usual. It was only a half our longer than normal, but still the baby seems to know that she was away from her mother for a lengthier time.

After the infant finally calmed down, she moved her face from her mother's neck and looked around. When she saw me standing off to the side, leaning against the railing to the stairs, she gave me a huge gummy smile. I happily returned it.

I love how close Skylar and I have gotten. She seems to feel completely comfortable around me now and nothing feels better than that… well it may be tied with having Rachel in my arms.

I push myself off the railing and move to stand next to the mother and daughter. When I get close enough, I put one hand on the small of Rachel's back and the other on Skylar's back.

"Hey Princesa! How are you? Did you have a good day with Barb." I ask.

Skylar smiled shyly at me and places her head on her mother's shoulder while still looking up at me. I smile fondly down at her. I use her position to loudly kiss the baby's exposed cheek. She started giggling at that and just like Rachel's it's music to my ears.

"She was great today. She only started fussing around the time you usually get home, and then when that time came and went she decided she was really going to show her displeasure." Barbara explains with a laugh as she pulls on her coat.

"She didn't go down for her nap though so she is definitely going to need one soon." She finishes before moving over to where the three of us were now standing. Barb ran her fingers through the baby's dark curls before bidding everyone goodbye and driving off.

"So you gave Barb a hard time did you?" I playfully chastise the baby.

In return Skylar looks up to me and I swear she is trying to make herself look as innocent as possible as she sticks her thumb in her mouth, something she had only started to do in the last few days. I can't help but laugh at her. She smiles around her thumb at me.

I lean down again and place another kiss on her cheek. This time when I lean back up she leans up as well. She looks at me for a few seconds as if trying to make a decision. After making her decision, she takes her thump out of her mouth and holds her arms out to me.

I just stand there for a second, not making a move. Skylar must think I'm taking too long because she leans over closer to me and lets out a whimper. I quickly take the baby out of her mother's arms and hold her close to me, still completely shocked at what had just happened.

Skylar had _never_ asked me to hold her, let alone to take her out of her mother's embrace. She had always allowed me to take her but never asked for it. As far as I know, she had never done that with anyone.

The look on Rachel's face told me that she was as shocked and confused as I was. I was afraid that she was going to freak out again; like she did the first time that Sky had taken comfort in me. I was doubly shocked when instead of crying, Rachel let out a little laugh and a huge smile spread across her face.

Skylar now had her head lying on my shoulder with her thumb in her mouth again. From what I could see, her eyes seemed to be getting droopy.

"She just asked you to pick her up!" Rachel exclaims quietly as not to startle the sleepy girl in my arms. Although she was still bouncing up and down excitedly to show exactly how happy she was.

"I know! I can't believe it. I don't even know what I did to make her want me!" I said just as excitedly.

"I think she may just like falling asleep in your arms," She says with a fond smile and I assume that the baby is now sleeping.

"She almost always falls asleep immediately in your arms." She muses. "It's probably because you're so warm and snuggly." She says with a smile, although it doesn't actually look like she is talking to me anymore.

That just makes me beam back at her because that is how she honestly feels! I definitely feel like I have a chance now!

She finally snaps out of it and shakes her head and tries to move on as if nothing happened, and I allow it for now.

"Why don't you put her in her crib and I'll make us a little snack that we can eat while watching TV." She offers with a smile

"How about we do all of that without me putting the baby in the crib." I say slyly with a smirk. "You're not getting this baby out of my hands until you are ready to have the discussion that you are avoiding." I tell her and her smile immediately vanishes, and I mentally slap myself for making it disappear. "Or until she gets hungry, which ever happens first." I add to hopefully make the smile reappear.

"Can we not, please?" She pleads desperately. Apparently it didn't work.

I let out a sigh and say, "Rae it has to happen. I need to know what's going through your head."

"Why? Skylar just showed you how much she trusts you, why do you want to ruin that?" She asks and starts to raise her voice.

"Ok, I'm going to put the baby in her crib so you don't wake her up, but when I come back down, we are talking about this because for some reason it sounds like you still believe that I'm going leave you. I don't know what I have to do to prove to you that I'm not going anywhere Rae, but I'll do anything. So while I'm putting her upstairs, you decide what I need to do to prove myself to you!" I whisper yell at her.

I make my way upstairs slowly, so that I don't jar the angel in my arms too much. I lay her down in her crib and she wiggles around a little bit in order to find a more comfortable position.

I watch her with a soft smile, before leaning down and pressing a kiss to her tummy like I always do. It had started out as a way to avoid making Rachel feel like I was trying to out do her by kissing a place that she normally kisses, but now it has become something special for me, just like Rachel kissing her cheeks and forehead.

I stay for a minute longer, giving Rachel a little more time to think, before heading back downstairs.

When I hit the bottom step, I see Rachel fidgeting with her hands looking even more nervous than she did when I left her. I clear my throat to announce my presence and her eyes shoots up to meet mine. I walk off of the step and move so that I am standing right in front of her. I am about to start the conversation off when she starts to talk instead while breaking eye contact and look down at her feet.

"I was going to say that I love you." She gets out quickly, and a smile instantly starts to form on my face, unfortunately before it can even properly take its place, she continues. "But that doesn't mean I'm in love with you." Ok that hurt. A lot. Tears instantly pool in my eyes against my will, but Rachel doesn't see them because she is still staring at the ground.

"I didn't mean it like that before. I just meant that you're my best friend, and therefore I love you. So you don't have to feel awkward or anything, it's not like I'm going to hit on you or anything."

She can't be serious right now! She has been flirting with me for two weeks! What has all that been?

"Why are you doing this!" I yell at her. I can't help it, it was either I yelled or my voice cracked, I chose the better of the two evils.

"Doing what?" She asks finally looking up from the floor. "Why are you crying? I told you that we can still be friends because I'm not in love with you. It can go back to the way things were before I started being stupid!" She yells.

Honestly I didn't even know that I was crying, I never realized that the tears had actually started to fall, I just knew that my heart was being ripped out of my chest every time she repeated that she 'wasn't in love with me'.

"Why have you been leading me on then Rachel? I didn't become your friend only because I am in love with you, and I never even expected anything to happen, but you _KEPT_ flirting! Why would you do that to me if you had no feelings for me? How could you be so mean?" I scream. I know that I should lower my voice so that I don't wake the baby I _just _put to sleep, but right now I can't help it.

"Was it to get back at me for everything I did in the past? I said I was sorry for that! I thought we moved on! I get that I didn't deserve for you to forgive me so easily, but I thought you had! I never would have thought that you would do something like this. I thought I had a chance and this entire time you were just playing me? Really, is that the story you're going with?" I ask. My voice starts to die out and by the end it's just a whisper.

"You're in love with me?" She asks, shocked. "No, that's not possible."

Does this honestly surprise her? Does she really think that I'm lying to her? Why would I lie about something like that?

I decide that I need to make a point, to show her that I meant what I said. I take two steps to her, effectively closing the gap between us, and gently grab her hip and the back of her head and pull her closer to me. I dip my head down and bring our lips together. The second our lips touch, it's like an electric shock goes through me, like I had finally found the person I was supposed to be with. _My soul mate_. Our lips aren't even moving and I still feel all of this. Then I realize, our lips aren't moving, she's not moving. Rachel is stiff in my arms.

I am about to pull back and try to explain myself when I feel Rachel's arms snake around my neck. I smile into the kiss and then slowly start to move my lips so that her bottom one is fit between mine. The kiss is slow and chaste and I try to show her everything I'm feeling with it.

When my lungs start to burn, I finally pull away, but only enough to be able to lean my forehead against hers and look into her eyes.

"Believe me now?"

* * *

><p><strong>Bahahaha.. when my beta got back to me on this she yelled at me.. so ill apologize for this before you guys start yelling too.. I hope I did them justice :) I figured you'd be happy to at least get a kiss.. but apparently that fact is negated by the fact that you have no idea how Rachel responds to it.. I can never win :**

**Also I want to apologize to anyone who thinks I'm sacrificing character development to further the plot.. I have some people telling me that they want to see them together and then others saying to develop the characters more..I am trying to balance it out, but I'm obviously having a hard time with it.. This probably makes it worse for those who think that its all too fast (although i want to make it clear that this is all happening about a month after school started for them).. If it does, I want to say I'm sorry and I hope I don't lose readers over it**

**I know that you guys don't like Shelby, but I hope that the way I'm working her in is ok.. she will be starting to make more appearances in upcoming chapters also.. I know a lot of you don't like her, but for some reason I love her.. I think it has more to do with Idina Menzel than Shelby though.. Either way I cant help myself but to put her in here more**

**Please review! I love reading what you guys think.. I helps me to write better :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**I know I said that this wasn't going up until later, but ****you guys blew me away with the support for last chapter! It got over 30 reviews! absolutely mind blowing! I can not thank you guys enough! Also thanks to everyone who put this story on alert and favorite! your all seriously awesome!**

**So this was supposed to be combined with the next chapter, but as you can see this chapter ended up being wayyyyy longer than i expected it too. I honestly have no idea how that happened! Im not sure why the sizes are fluctuating so much, and I'm sorry if its annoying anyone :/**

**I want to say a huge thanks to my beta GE0309 for this because she really helped me figure out how to make this entire thing work.. without her the last part of this chapter would have been really confusing and probably wouldn't have worked! **

**Disclaimer: Glee belongs to RIB.. if I were to own it, Finchel would not being happening.. and Finn probably would have been kicked out of glee club by now **

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 13<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

The second Santana's lips touched mine everything else in the world went away. Nothing else mattered other than her and now. But her words broke the spell and it was as if everything came crashing back to reality.

The most important thing was the screaming coming from upstairs. Not that it should really surprise me. We were screaming, of course it woke Skylar up.

There is too much going on inside my head right now, but none of that matters. All that matters in this moment is making sure Skylar is ok.

I move my head so it is no longer leaning on Santana's and start to back away.

"I need to get her." I say and move past the Latina and towards the stairs. I don't get far though before Santana grabs my arm to stop me.

"Rae, hold on."

"Santana, Skylar is crying in case you didn't notice, I need to go get her." I snap without even turning back to her, frustrated that she thinks this conversation is more important that my daughter.

Her arm falls away from my arm and limply at her side. "I'm not saying I didn't or you don't. I was just going to let you know that you have lipstick all around your lips and you may want to clean that up before you grab her." She says dejectedly.

I'm instantly felt horrible. I know that she is still worried that she is going to screw up with Skylar, which I still think is crazy since she's amazing with her without even needing to be. Yet I just said something to insinuate that I feel the same way, even though I feel quite the opposite.

I rub my lips together and turn to look at her and cup her cheek in my hand. "I'm sorry, that was wrong of me. Of course you weren't putting yourself above Skylar. We'll talk Santì I promise." I say before pulling away from her again and running up the stairs two at a time.

I first go into the guest bathroom to wash my face, avoiding my bathroom so Sky doesn't see me before I plan on grabbing her.

I can't believe that this all happened. How did this day start with Shelby and end with a kiss? What am I supposed to do now?

She said that she was in love with me. Am I in love with her? I know that I love her, but I genuinely think there's a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone. And as much as it pains me to say it, I don't think that I'm _in love_ with her. I definitely could be, given time, but I don't think I am right now.

How can I possibly tell her that though?

'Hey San, I know that you just told me that you're in love with me and that kiss was mind-blowing but I stand by what I said before.'

Yea that's the way to keep a relationship in tact. I let out a sigh and just stare at myself in the bathroom mirror. My lips are still tingling.

I hear the crying down the hall stop. I listen carefully to see if I can make sure that Santana got her.

"I'm right here Princesa, I've got you. I'm sorry we scared you with all the yelling, we didn't mean to. Mommy and I have a lot of stuff to work out, but I promise that no matter what, I'm not going anywhere. Even if your mommy doesn't want to be with me, I'll still be here for her and for you." I hear her tell my daughter in a soft soothing voice.

The next thing I hear is a light wrapping at the door behind me.

"Rae, I think she may be hungry, did you want to breast feed her or do you want to give her a veggie?" She asks through the door.

"Do you mind making her some oatmeal? There should be some of her milk in the fridge to mix with it." I ask.

"Oh yea sure, make me the bad guy who has to put her in the chair of doom." She jokes, and I can hear her smile through her words.

I roll my eyes at her antics and open the door to the bathroom to see her leaning against the wall across the hallway.

"Fine, like always I'll be the bad guy." I say with a laugh. I move closer to her put my arms out to Skylar, who just looks at me for a second. She then proceeds to lean further into Santana and lay her head on her shoulder.

My daughter just chose Santana over me! What the hell!

"Hey little miss, what was that!" I ask tickling her sides.

She just giggles and squirms in Santana's arms.

"That was just her picking the cooler person." Santana says cockily while sporting a smug smirk.

"Oh yea?" I ask and proceed to tickle Santana as well.

"Stop!" She gasps out while trying to get out of my grasp. Luckily I was smart enough to block her against the wall so she can't go anywhere. "If I go down your daughter goes down as well!" She reasons while still laughing.

I stop knowing she's right, and I just stick my tongue out at her. She quickly returns the gesture.

"Looks like we won Sky!" She says taunting me good-naturedly. "Mommy doesn't stand a chance against us does she?" She asks the infant while holding her closer, smirking while Skylar looks at me and giggles.

How Santana turned my child against me I'm not sure, but she will pay! I serge forward and grab the baby out of her hands and secure her on my hip. After I know that I have a tight grip on the baby, I start to tickle Santana with my free hand.

"Now what excuse are you going to use to get me to stop? Huh?" I tease while continuing to tickle her side while using the wall and my body to keep her from moving.

"I can just do this!" She says and grabs my hand and yanks it slightly making me step forward and nearly crash into her.

She steadies me by holding onto my waist, until I get my bearings back. Skylar just giggles at the little ride she got. When I look up to Santana's face again, I realize that she managed to pull me almost completely into her, our faces only a few inches apart. My eyes meet her eyes and then glance down to her lips before rising again. She begins to move in and I do the same.

As our lips are about to touch for the second time, Skylar lets out a screech and starts patting both of our cheeks feeling left out of the exchange. Her actions help to bring me out of my reverie and I quickly take a few steps backwards.

Sky seems to sense the change in atmosphere because she starts looking from me to Santana. She then starts to babble as if to ask what happened to the fun time we were just having. I smile at her and kiss her on the cheek causing her to squeal joyfully.

"Come on princess, let get you fed!" I say and start walking towards the stairs.

As we step into the doorway of the kitchen, Santana walks ahead of me and pulls the tray off of the highchair so I can put her in easier. I shoot a grateful smile to the cheerleader and Skylar looks between the two of us and starts squirming. When she sees that that's not working she quickly reaches out for Santana to save her, as she lets out a pitiful whimper.

Both Santana and I stop what we are doing, because she is six months old and already she is trying to be slick. She totally just tried to play us off of each other. I can't believe this!

When the pout forms on Skylar's lips I see Santana start to fold. She holds out her arms to the little girl and Sky leans even more towards her in order to make it easier for Santana to grab her.

"Santana.." I warn as I see the Latina pull the conniving baby to her chest rather then put her in the chair. It still surprises me that after over a month of eating in this chair that she still hates it so much. I honestly don't understand it.

"Why can't she just sit on my lap and eat?" Santana whines.

"Are you serious right now? You're as bad as her." I laugh out while grabbing the baby back from her arms and place her in the chair after a little struggle.

"I'm sorry baby girl, but you need to. I don't understand why you hate it so much, but you have to get used to it. The more you fight it the more important it is that you eat in there." I explain to the baby causing Santana to crack up behind me.

"You know she's barely six months old, right? There is no way that she can understand that."

"No need to lower her IQ by talking baby talk to her. If she's not going to understand it anyway, why not talk properly to her?" I argue.

"But there is a better chance of her understanding it if you at least dumb it down for her a little." She argues back and I don't even have an answer for that, she's probably right. I refuse to admit that so instead I just decide to change the subject.

"Can you make the oatmeal please." I ask

She fully belly laughs next to me. "Victory!" She says with a fist pump. I pout in response.

"Oh don't pout, it kills me to see it." She says before kissing me on the cheek and going to make the baby food.

At the kiss I freeze. Sure we just were sharing a much more intense kiss not to long ago, but the kiss to the cheek seemed so natural, like something people in relationships did.

Are we in a relationship? What does any of this mean? I know that she told Sky that even if I don't want to be with her she is still going to stick around, but would she really? Is that even an option that I wanted to think of? Do I want to be with her?

I look over to where she is standing next to the sink as she prepares Skylar's food. That's when it really hit me. I really do want to be with her. Sure I had been having feelings for her the last few weeks, but they had always confused me. None of those feelings were as convincing as the one I am having right now.

Standing here watching her, I feel like this is how it is supposed to be. Before, whenever Santana was helping I always felt like she was doing too much and that I shouldn't become reliant on her in case she leaves, but now I realize that she's not going anywhere, and she truly wants to be here.

Without even thinking about my actions, I walk over to where she is standing and take the bowl of gross oatmeal out of her hands. When she looks up at me to see what was going on, I use the opportunity to seize her lips.

The kiss is instantly more intense than the one we shared before. I move my left hand up to wrap it in her hair while my other hand lands on her hip and pulls her closer. Both of her arms wrap around my waist and hold me tight against her body. When I feel her tongue swipe across my bottom lip I instantly grant her access. The moment our tongues meet a moan sounds out through the room, I truthfully could not tell you which one of us it came from though.

For the second time tonight, Skylar's cries pull us out of the moment and brought us back to reality. I smile sheepishly up to Santana. "Sorry."

"Please never apologize for that." She says as her tongue shoots out to lick her bottom lip. My eyes instinctively follow the action.

Skylar is physically banging on the tray now in order to show her displeasure. Not only was she stuck in the chair, but she was also being ignored. Those are the two things that she hates more than anything in the world, not that a six month old really hates too many things yet.

Santana just chuckles as she picks up the discarded bowl of oatmeal and brings it over to the table, sitting in the seat in front of Skylar's chair.

"Hey there Preciosa, are you ready to eat like a big girl?" She asks in the semi-baby voice she always uses with Skylar. I move a seat next to Santana and sit.

As Santana feeds Skylar, we stay in a somewhat awkward silence save for the noises Skylar is making from her chair. As the silence goes on longer, it gets more and more awkward.

"Ok, I'm sorry, but I need to know what's going on in your head. That kiss was amazing, but it's not enough Rae, I need to know how you're feeling about all of this."

"Honestly?" I ask.

"No, I would like you to lie to me. Yes of course honestly." She jokes

"I'm not really sure Santana, I just know that our first kiss was amazing, but it freaked me out because I didn't know what it meant. And then I saw you making Sky's meal and something just clicked in me and it all seemed to make a bit more sense, if that makes any sense." I say looking down at my hands as I try to figure out what words to use to describe these feelings.

"It's like I saw you for the first time you know. I had been spending the last few weeks trying to convince myself that the feelings I've been having have been wrong and I was just confused and I was only having them because you were here with me. I thought that with time they would go away. But then I saw you and you were perfect and you had just told me you were in love with me, and it all didn't seem so crazy anymore. It seemed doable. It seemed real." I say and finally raise my head and look her in the eyes for the first time.

"What feelings have you been having Rae?" She asks nervously and I instantly know what she's asking me. I look back down at my hands because I really don't want to see the look in her eyes when I say this. I don't want to hurt her and I don't want her to hate me, but I need to tell her how I'm really feeling.

"San I love you. I do, so much. And I know for a fact that I am moving towards being in love with you…" I fade off, not being able to finish the sentence.

"But you're not in love with me now." She finishes for me.

"I'm so sorry Santana, but I promise everything you said before was wrong! I never meant to lead you on; I truly didn't realize what I was doing! And even still it wasn't really leading you on since I really do want to be with you."

"You want to be with me?" She asks in a hopeful voice. I still can't look her in the eyes.

"Yea, but San it still doesn't change anything."

"What doesn't it change? What does it need to change?" She asks desperately.

"I don't want to hurt you Santana. I don't want to hurt you the way I hurt you earlier. The look on your face when you walked out of the bathroom before- it was heartbreaking. I never want to be the cause of that again."

"Rae-" She tries to interrupt.

"But I'm so messed up that it's almost a given that it will happen again. I let my insecurities fuel my actions and my words. I couldn't stop myself earlier, even though I could _never_ think of you as anything less than perfect, the words still spilled from my mouth." I ramble on. All of my insecurities about this relationship are coming out of my mouth without me processing any of it.

"Just stop." She says softly, but I don't listen. I just keep rambling on.

"They came out against my will and you ended up hurt. And I can't bare the thought of hurting you like that again, but at the same time I can't promise that I won't. It's almost a given actually since I'm so socially inept. I don't know how-" My rant is cut short by Skylar's spoon, filled with oatmeal, being stuck in my mouth.

"Ewwwwwwww, this shit is gross Santì! Why would you do that?" I whine as I spit out the spoon and place it on Skylar's tray with a pout.

She lets out a laugh and runs her thumb over my protruded lip. The action sent a shiver down my spine.

"Because you wouldn't stop, and kissing you to make you stop seemed to cliché." She says with a smile.

"Rae there's no way for us to have all the answers right now. There is no way for us to promise each other that we will not hurt each other, but we can promise each other that if and when one of us is hurt, that the other will be there to make the pain go away, even if we caused it. That's all we can do Rachel, that's all anyone can do. I am willing to make that promise to you. The question is whether you're willing to make the promise back to me."

I just stare at her for a few moments. Staring into her eyes and getting lost. I finally nod my response.

"I still can't say what you want me to say though, as much as I want to, I'm not ready yet." I say quietly.

"And I don't want you to say it until your ready. I don't want to just hear the words Rachel; I want you to say them because you mean them. It takes time, and I've done so much to you in the past that I'm surprised you're even giving me a chance."

"The past is just that Santana, the past. We've moved on and you have done more then enough to prove to me that you've change. That's all I need."

"Then all I need is for you to take the time and develop your feelings." She says with a sweet smile on her face.

"I can do that."

"I'm glad. I think that there's only one more thing to ask then." Santana says coyly.

"What's that?" I ask

"Rachel Barbara Berry, will you be my girlfriend?" She asks and a huge smile fills my face. She instantly returns it in kind.

"Absolutely!"

Her face lights up as she leans forward to capture my lips yet again. This kiss is different still from the previous two, it is filled with promises and feelings that are too difficult to describe in words. It is filled with passion and excitement. And for Santana it was filled with a little bit of pain as well.

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I can't believe that she just agreed to be my girlfriend! This could not get any better! The kiss we are currently sharing is breathtaking. I don't even have words to describe how perfect it is. The first two kisses were awesome, but this one is filled with so many emotions that it makes me want to cry a little bit.

When a spoon connected with the side of my eye however, I did cry a little bit. Skylar must have decided that she was done being ignored throughout an entire conversation and decided to through the spoon, which Rachel left in her reach, at us to gain our attention. Either that or she is letting us know that she does not approve of the kissing, but I'm hoping it's the first thing.

"Santa Madre de Dios! Qué demonios?" I yell out as I leap away from Rachel and hold my eye.

It takes Rachel a few seconds to even open her eyes, and then a few more to realize what happened.

"Skylar Gabriella Berry! You do not throw things! And you certainly do not throw things at peoples faces!" She chastises the baby in the high chair.

Tears instantly fill Skylar's eyes at being yelled at. Something I am assuming rarely if ever happens. The little girl instantly raises her arms up to be held, but when Rachel goes to grab her, the little girl whimpers and stretches out towards me. Rachel's eyes fill up with tears at the action.

How did this go from the happiest moment of my life to all three of us having tears in our eyes? Oh yes. The spoon.

I lower my hand holding my eye and move to grab Skylar from the chair, but Rachel grabs my arm first.

"Rae, I know it hurts that she is mad at you, but-" I get cut off quickly

"San it's not that, you're bleeding." She says. "The spoon must have cut you somehow."

"Yea well your daughter is going to be a freaking softball player or something because she has an arm already." I try to laugh it off even though my eye is stinging right now.

"Come on lets get you cleaned up."

"I'm fine for right now, lets set her up in front of the TV and then we can go look at my eye." I propose.

"Ok, but you'd better get her, she doesn't want me right now." She says remembering Skylar's previous action causing her eyes to well with tears again.

"Hey, she's just scared and confused. She's not used to you yelling at her, she will be fine though. Nothing you can do will make her love you any less." I explain as I move closer to her and bring her in for a hug, making sure to keep the bloody side of my face away from her.

When we pull apart, Rachel goes into the living room to set up the movie and bouncy chair for Skylar, while I rush over to wash the little bit of blood off my hands before grabbing Skylar and following her in.

After we have the baby situated, the diva grabs my hand and drags me to the closest bathroom. While she is bandaging my eye up, I can see her fidgeting from one foot to the other. Something that I learned meant she was nervous about something. I move my arms out and hold onto her torso making her stop fidgeting and causing her to look me in the eyes.

"What's on your mind Rae?" I ask "And don't say nothing, I can't help if you don't tell me what you need."

"I was just wondering how you wanted to handle school tomorrow. I understand if you're not ready to come out yet, especially with someone like me, but I was just wondering what your thoughts on the matter where." She says nervously while lowering her eyes.

I use my pointer finger to move her chin up so I could look her in the eyes.

"I will scream it from the rooftops if that's what you want Rachel. It is your call what we do tomorrow, I want you to be comfortable with whatever we do."

"Well- I mean- I would…" She never finishes and looks back down again.

Again I raise her chin to force eye contact and raise a questioning eyebrow at her.

"I would like for everyone to know that I am lucky enough to have you as my girlfriend." She says fearfully and quickly adds, "But if that's not what you want than I understand completely!"

"I would love for everyone to know that you're mine." I say with a smile before leaning forward and kissing the shorter brunette again, simply because I can.

The night went pretty well from there. After we went back into the living room, Skylar seemed to have forgotten all about the spoon incident and quickly asked to be held in her mother's embrace, a request that the mother willingly and happily granted. I stayed for a few more hours before heading home after a good night kiss.

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><p>The next day before school Rachel and I spent a few minutes just sitting in her car in the McKinley parking lot preparing for what was about to happen. I stand by what I had said yesterday, I want everyone to know that Rachel is mine, but it doesn't really make it less scary.<p>

What did help to make it all seem less scary though was Rachel grabbing my hand. The minute we had the contact I was able to calm down immensely. I look over to her and give her a thankful smile and she returns it with an empathetic one. I give her hand a squeeze and climb out of the car. I quickly rush over to her side and help her out of the car, since she had opened the car door before I could. I quickly retake her hand when we are both out of the car.

When we got to her locker, we noticed that no one was batting an eye at us. The school had basically gotten used to Rachel and I being constantly together, so they really weren't seeing anything different or wrong today. As much as I know I should be happy about this, I was also annoyed because if no one took notice, then no one would know that Rachel was now _my_ girl. I know it's strange to not want to come out but still want people to know about my girlfriend… wow I like saying that... but there's nothing I can do about it, that's how I felt.

"Well this seems good, right? No one even seems to notice that something has changed between us. We were worried for nothing " Rachel says and I just nod unconvinced.

The next thing either of us knows, I had turned Rachel to face me and proceeded to cover her lips with mine in the middle of the hallway. She instantly reciprocated the kiss and snaked her arms around my neck in the process. I grin into the kiss because she really has no problem with coming out like this.

Everything in the hallway seems to stop. It's like everyone took a second to process what was happening between Rachel and I and then stilled their movements to openly gawk at us.

I pull away from Rachel and we both offer the other a reassuring smile before turning to face the judge and jury that we called our peers. No one had yet to make a move. A moment passed and then everyone started to move around the hallway as if nothing had happened.

What just happened?

"Did we just walk into the Twilight Zone?" Rachel asks from beside me.

"I honestly don't know, but it feels like it." I respond before shutting Rachel's locker and grabbing her bag. "Whatever, lets get to homeroom." She just nods and continues to look around as if waiting for the other shoe to drop.

We didn't even make it ten steps before we were both lifted up off the ground in a hug. Brittany.

"Hey Britt-Britt, what's going on?" Rachel's question was muffled due to the fact that her face was being pressed into the blonde's collarbone.

"You guys are _FINALLY_ together! Yay!" She says excitedly while jumping up and down. Effectively jarring both Rachel and I. I am constantly surprised how strong the dancer is.

"Hey B, can you put us down please." I ask and she instantly opens her arms to drop us. Unfortunately she was still mid jump. Rachel, being shorter than me, had a longer way to fall and almost lost her balance. I quickly reached out and grabbed her waist to steady her. She immediately melted into my embrace and moved closer to me. The action made me smile like an idiot.

"Britt-Britt, we only figured out our feelings for each other yesterday, what do you mean finally?" Rachel asks causing my eyes to widen knowing that the blonde will think nothing of telling my girlfriend how long I had been in love with her. Before I could do anything, Brittany has already opened her mouth to speak.

"I mean _finally!_ Santana has been in love with you for like… forever. But she only figured it out last year before you left though." The tall dancer says as if it were obvious. Although to her it was obvious. I can't help but cringe a little waiting for Rachel's reaction.

"LAST YEAR!" She screams while turning to me. Yup, that seems about right.

"Yea ok last year before you left. Can we be done with this conversation now- or ever?" I ask blushing, self-conscious about how Rachel will feel about finding out that I've had feelings for her for so long.

"Oh Santì, you don't need to be embarrassed. I'm sorry for asking." Rachel says sweetly. I smile appreciatively at her.

"S! What happened to you eye?" B asks forcing my head to turn so she could get a better look. I can hear Rachel snickering next to me. I kind of forgot about my stupid eye until now.

"I had to protect my girl B, you know how it is." I say nonchalantly, causing Rachel's snickers to turn into a scoff. I wonder if she would prefer that explanation or the real one with her daughter in it.

"Well that's good S because Rachie is really tiny and all and you need to make sure she's safe." Brittany responds.

"Yea. Come on Rae, let's get to class. See you in sixth B."

The first two periods of classes go by pretty quickly. I told Rachel to text me if she had any problems, and I hadn't heard a thing from her. That didn't really help to calm my nerves. I really didn't want someone hurting her to prove a point, and thinking about it now, us coming out put a bigger target on her back for anyone who wants to bring me down.

As soon as the bell signaling the end of second period was over I ran from the classroom and over to Rachel's. The second she stepped out of the door I pulled her into a tight hug.

"Santì wants going on? Did something happen?" She asks with concern.

"No, I was just worried. I don't like waiting to see what people are going to do."

"Everyone seems fine with it." She says grabbing my hand and leaning onto my arm.

"I know that's what worries me. This place is filled with homophobes; I'm just waiting for one to attack. I just hope they attack me not you."

"We're fine San, don't stress yourself out." She says as she leans up and kisses my cheek. I instantly relax.

"Did you get the text from Shelby?" She asks me. I furrow my brow because I had seen a text from Shelby earlier, but because it wasn't from Rachel I didn't bother looking at it. I didn't want anything to interfere with a text from the diva.

"Sort of, what did it say?"

She rolls her eyes at me but answers anyway, "It asked if the two of us could make a Trouble Tones practice during free and lunch. She said that she totally forgot about Beth having a doctors appointment on Thursday so she can't make that practice." I can hear the jealousy in her voice when she talks about Beth, but I choose to ignore it because I know she doesn't want to talk about it.

"Weren't you planning on going home for lunch though?" I asked, I figured after not seeing Skylar for so long yesterday she would be going home today for sure.

"No, I told Barb I was staying. I wasn't going to leave our first day out at school Santì. That wouldn't be fair to you."

"You're seriously too sweet, you could have gone if you wanted to. I wouldn't have minded." I say while placing a chaste kiss to her lips. "Anyway though, if you were staying anyway I don't see why we can't meet, only the seniors have a lunch and break then though, what is she going to do with all the underclassman?" I ask.

"I asked her that too, she said that it's only going to be the experienced members meeting, AKA the old New Direction members. She's meeting with the rest of the Cheerios other days this week after school. She said that since she knows it's hard for me to stay that she figured this may be easier."

"Well that was nice of her." I offer. I'm still not sure where we stand on the whole Shelby issue, I mean she's only been back for a day, so it's hard to get a read on the situation.

"Yea, whatever, she was just trying to make sure her lead, well one of her leads, can make practice. I would have said no if she asked to change the schedule this week, as much as I can appreciate a doctor's appointment as a valid excuse, I also have a valid excuse as to why I need to keep a strict schedule. I can't keep changing it around on Skylar, she's going to get confused." She excuses. I can see what she's doing, she doesn't want to get close to someone she's afraid is going to leave again. It's the same thing she did to me, what she's still doing to me to some extent.

"Ok, that makes sense. Do you want to text her back or should I?"

"I actually already did, I figured if I was going you wouldn't mind going." She says with a smile that's halfway between impish and sheepish. I didn't even know it was possible to be halfway between those two… Rachel proved it is.

"Alright," I say with a chuckle as we start towards our class again.

Third period was boring. Now that I had Rachel next to me, I was able to calm down, but she was adamant about taking notes, something about being a terrible pupil and falling behind. I just sighed and relax back in my chair.

When we walk into practice, it starts getting interesting. Shelby is already on the stage speaking to everyone there, but the minute the door slams behind us everyone stops listening to her and turns to see us. Our three friends, who have yet to see us today, jumped out of their seats and came flying towards us, questions falling from their mouths in quick secession.

"STOP!" I yell to get them to calm down.

"Is it real?" Puck gets in before shutting up.

Rachel looks up at me, smiles and looks back at the three others. "Yeah it's definitely real." She says causing a huge smile to break out on my face.

"Geez Satan, never thought I'd see you so happy." Puck throws in. "It looks good on you." He says with a smile.

"Guys what's going on back there? We don't have much time lets get back to practice please."

"Actually Shelby, I have something I want to sing first. Is that ok?" I ask and I can tell that Shelby is about to say no. I see her stare at Rachel and she finally nods her head 'yes'. I look over to Rachel and see her staring back at me with a huge proud and excited look on her face. I know now that Shelby allowed me to sing for Rachel. At least that's a step in the right direction.

I tell Puck and Change Squared to bring Rachel to sit with them and then make my way to the stares. I see Brad is sitting at the piano already.

"Dude why are you here? I thought you were New Direction's Bitch." I tell him.

He just shrugs in response and then holds out his hand for the sheet music. I just quickly hand it to him.

"So I'm assuming that this is obvious, but Rae this is for you. I planned it out when I got home yesterday night. I assumed I'd have until Thursday though, so it may be a little rough." I say and then look at Brad and he starts to play.

_**When I look into your eyes**_

_**It's like watching the night sky**_

_**Or a beautiful sunrise**_

_**There's so much they hold**_

_**And just like them old stars**_

_**I see that you've come so far**_

_**To be right where you are**_

_**How old is your soul?**_

I look at Rachel and she already has tears on her eyes and a smile on her face.

_**I won't give up on us**_

_**Even if the skies get rough**_

I say with a roll of the eyes, because although the song is obviously not talking about the baby, to Rachel and I that's what makes the most sense. She lets out a little giggle, and the five other people in the room look at her like she's nuts because this isn't really a giggle worthy song.

_**I'm giving you all my love**_

_**I'm still looking up**_

_**And when you're needing your space**_

_**To do some navigating**_

I nod my head for her to come join me on the stage; she quickly leaps out of her chair and runs onto stage.

_**I'll be here patiently waiting**_

_**To see what you find**_

_**'Cause even the stars they burn**_

_**Some even fall to the earth**_

I grab her hands and sing looking directly into her eyes.

_**We've got a lot to learn**_

_**God knows we're worth it**_

_**No, I won't give up**_

_**I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily**_

_**I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make**_

I sing earnestly because they are the two most honestly lines in the song. She is actively crying now. I can just hope that she knows that this is how I truly feel

_**Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use**_

_**The tools and gifts we got yeah, we got a lot at stake**_

_**And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend**_

_**For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn**_

I sing and lean my head against hers and lower my voice. I am singing directly to her, as if no one else was in the room.

_**We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in**_

_**I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not**_

_**And who I am**_

_**I won't give up on us**_

_**Even if the skies get rough**_

_**I'm giving you all my love**_

_**I'm still looking up**_

_**Still looking up.**_

_**I won't give up on us (no I'm not giving up)**_

_**God knows I'm tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)**_

_**We've got a lot to learn (we're alive, we are loved)**_

_**God knows we're worth it (and we're worth it)**_

_**I won't give up on us**_

_**Even if the skies get rough**_

_**I'm giving you all my love**_

_**I'm still looking up**_

When the music dies down, Rachel leaps into my arms and crashes our lips together. I can hear the whooping of the other members but none of that matters to me.

When we finally break apart I look over to Shelby to let her know the floor is hers again, and I can see the tears still making their way down her face.

"That was beautiful Santana." She says while wiping her face and trying to fix her make up.

"Thanks, sorry to interrupt, but I needed to get that out." I say and look into Rachel's eyes again. She beams back and me and throws her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug.

"It's fine, can we get back to the practice now though?" She asks and Rachel and I just nod and climb off the stage.

I sit next to Puck in the audience and Rachel sits on my lap. I hold onto her tightly.

"You'd better not hurt her," Puck whispers in my ear. I turn to him and nod. He nods back.

Practice goes pretty well. It is pretty much spent with Shelby taking us one by one to test our vocal range so that she knows what she's working with. I smile thankfully at her when she praises Rachel, "You're range is better. It was impressive a year and a half ago, but it's better now." People in China can probably see the light from the beam on Rachel's face it's so bright.

When we are dismissed, I grab our bags and hold out my hand for her to take. Before she even can grab a hold I hear Shelby call from the stage, "Santana can you wait back for a few minutes, I'd like to talk to you please."

I look at Rachel and I can see the trepidation on her face. I kiss her forehead to try and calm her nerves. "She probably just wants a solo meeting with me, like she had with you yesterday. It will be fine, go on to your class and text if you need me." I say and kiss her on the lips quickly.

"What?" I ask when I am standing in front of her. I knew that everything I said to Rachel was a lie; Shelby had momma bear face on. They fall slightly when she realizes that I don't respect her as my girlfriend's parent, mostly because she's not.

"Ok look, I know that Rachel has two dads to give you this talk," She starts off and I stiffen because really, she doesn't. "But I'm going to do it anyway. I can tell that you really like her, I could tell that the minute you stepped into Figgins' office yesterday, but I can also tell that for whatever reason, she's fragile. Don't hurt her Santana. Because if you do, your threat to me yesterday…" She pauses, obviously for dramatic effect. Genetics really are crazy. "It's going to seem like child's play." She says in a deep low voice. I audibly gulp, before getting my bearings back.

"With all do respect Shelby, you are not her mother. You made that perfectly clear, as has she. You have no right to threaten me, because really I don't think there is anything I can do to her that is worse then what you have done." A look of hurt crosses her face. I know it's a low blow, but when my back is against the wall, my claws come out.

"Lets just leave it at neither of us hurt her and were all fine." She says closer to her normal voice, but it seems like it swung a little bit in the other direction this time. It is clear she is trying to keep her emotions at bay.

"Sounds like a plan." I say with a nod as I make my way off the stage and towards my next class.

As hard as I thought the last 24 hours were going to be, it really turned out pretty well. I managed to convince Rachel to be my girlfriend, we came out at school and no one seemed to care, all of our friends were supportive, and Shelby seems to be stepping up slightly. Lets just hope the last three periods go this well, and then were home free.

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><p><strong>The song was 'Wont Give Up' by Jason Mraz :) and I owe a huge thank you to ToastedMarshmellow08 for showing me the song. The timing couldn't have been more perfect!<strong>

**Sky's middle name is in honor of the awesomeness that is my beta!**

**So what do you all think? Did I do them justice? Did it happen to fast? Did you hate it? Love it? Want me to shut up?**

**Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**So this is kind of just a filler chapter to cleaning up the rest of the coming out scene.. well not cleaning up per se... :)**

**A little side note/fun fact.. This fic is now taking up just over 200 pages on a word document. Its becoming a monster lol.. Absolutely nuts!**

**So I switched it back to be Santana's POV first for this chapter.. it may keep switching who it starts with from now on.. I tried to keep it uniform, but I decided its easier to just write however comes the most natural..**

**You guys are absolutely amazing! You hit 300 reviews last chapter! I am absolutely floored! Want to say a HUGE thank you to anyone who follows this fic!**

**Thanks to my awesome beta GE0309! She is amazing! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own glee.. **

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 14<strong>_

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

Sixth period went by pretty normally, nothing out of the ordinary happened. However on my way to seventh period all hell broke loose. Murphy's law takes effect and everything seems to go to hell.

I am walking towards the gym when a large group of people standing in a huge circle stops me from moving. I instantly know something is wrong and start to push my way through. When I get to the center I see about a quarter of the football team standing around Rachel, whose back is up against the lockers, every one of them have a slushy in their hand. Standing in the center of them is none other than Finn.

"What the hell do you all think you're doing?" I scream and run to stand in front of my girlfriend.

"Oh look it's Lezpez, protecting her girlfriend." One of the boys in the group calls out. I couldn't even tell you who it was.

"Is she still a lesbian if she's sleeping with a Tranny?" Some one else calls out from the group.

I let out a low growl. "I suggest you all think about this. I will make every single on of you pay. It will be slow and painful, so I really hope you have all thought this one through." I say in a low voice.

A few of the boys falter and a couple of them even walk away.

"Rachel, just tell them that it's all some huge mistake! Tell us this is a lie and then it will all be over! You're not some dyke Rach. I mean we dated so you can't possibly be gay. Just tell the truth and everything can just go back to normal." Finnept argues trying to glare at Rachel. In all seriousness, I have to hold back a chuckle because he really looks more constipated than angry.

I feel Rachel step out from behind me and hold my hand. I try to push her behind me again but she refuses to be moved.

"You're right Finn." I blanch at her statement. Was she really going to deny everything now. It is only her hand squeezing mine that calms me down before I can even react. "I'm not 'some dyke'. In fact I'm not a _dyke_ at all. I am however attracted to girls and I am definitely in a relationship with Santana." She says looking at me and smiling. She then looks back towards Finn.

"I am also attracted to guys. If we're all being completely honest here, though, I was never attracted to you,_ at all_. You were always just a means to an end. That is until I realized that the only end you would lead me to is Lima Loser status." I look at Rachel with a proud smile on my face, both for her actually announcing our relationship, in case the making out wasn't obvious enough, and for making fun of Finn in front of the entire school.

"Furthermore, if any one of you throw those slushies, I will have my lawyer on your ass for discrimination and report you to the authorities for committing a hate crime. so quickly that your heads will spin. In fact since you are attacking us in a group, I could probably also tack on gang violence just for fun. Believe me when I say that those slushies count as assault. I suggest that every one of you either drink those or throw them out, because the last thing any of you needs is another smudge on your already inadequate records." She says with a smug smile.

All of the boys holding slushies look around to one another and then quickly hurry away from us. Finn is the only one left in the middle of the circle with us.

"What's your problem Finn? Your idiot brother is gay for god sakes and all though you're a complete fucktard, I never realized you were homophobic also. Or at least not anymore." I ask him.

"Rachel, just come back to New Directions and stop all of this. You're acting weird. Hanging out with Santana, quitting glee club, and then joining another one. I kept quiet because really it's usually easier to just let you be so that I don't have to listen to you babble on. But now that you're dating Santana, it's obvious that it's time for me to step in." He says as if he was doing her a favor. I really just want to slap him right now. Not only has he insulted me, but he also insulted her and that's where I draw the line.

"Listen here Asshole!" I say and step towards him, but before I can continue, Puck's fist meets Finn's jaw. The taller boy quickly hits the floor.

Everyone in the hallway lets out a surprised gasp in unison. I seriously don't even know where Puck just came from.

"We talked Finn, I told you in the very beginning of the year, after seeing you tell her off for no god damn reason, to leave her alone! Put did you listen? No! Instead you decided to try and get the entire football team, _my_ football team mind you, to help you try and threaten her. That wasn't enough for you though was it? You also had to stand here, in front of everyone and insult not only Rachel, but also Santana. Are you really that stupid?" Puck growls into his face while hovering over him. Finn looks like he is about to pee his pants. Have I mentioned that I love Puckerman? "I told you to stay away from them! Both of them!" He says and lays another punch to Finns face. I can't help but scrunch my face a little because that seriously had to hurt.

As much as I love seeing this, and trust me, I love it a whole hell of a lot, I have to stop it before Puck gets hurt or in trouble. He really can't afford any more trouble. I quickly run up to him and grab a hold of his arm before he can throw another punch. At my touch he quickly turns to look at me, luckily that's enough to stop him.

"What's going on out here?" Shue yells from the back of the crowd.

Not good. I quickly grab Puck and Rachel and try to make our way through the crowd. Unfortunately everyone else is trying to get away so we are unable to move away from Mr. Shuester's golden boy.

"Finn! What happened to you?" He asks kneeling down next to the lumbering idiot. When he looks up and sees the three of us standing off to the side, his eyes turn cold. "Of course it had to be you three. What, are you so afraid of losing that you decided to take out our lead?" Shue asks.

I can see Puck trying to hold back a laugh at this, he's not doing too well at it though because he has a huge smile on his face and his chest is vibrating in an effort to keep it in.

"Really Will, do you think you are even important enough for me to risk one of my leads getting suspended to take down a boy who can't even sing properly, let alone dance." Shelby asks from halfway down the hallway as she makes her way over to us.

"What happened here?" She asks Rachel and I when she is standing in front of us.

"Hudson got a few of the football players to threaten Rachel with a slushy massacre if she didn't admit that she wasn't gay." I answer, and she looks at both of us, confused because there is no slushy on either of us.

"I informed them that I would have them arrested for assault and discrimination if they followed through with their threat. They all rethought their priorities. All except Finn." Rachel supplies.

Shelby just nods and turns to look at Finn and Mr. Shue. Without turning back to face us, Shelby's face screws up in disgust and asks, "How did he get all bloody?"

"He kept insulting my girls and so I had no choice but to step in and put a stop to it." Puck answers without an ounce of regret in his voice.

Again Shelby nods. "Ok then I think we're done here. William I suggest you get your 'lead' " She actually used air quotes with that, _priceless_, "to the nurses office, it looks as if Mr. Puckerman has broken his nose." She states nonchalantly as she starts ushering the three of us down the hallway.

"Excuse me! Where do you think that you're taking them? They are not going anywhere except to the principal's office!" Will yells as he helps his golden boy to stand up.

"I don't see why that's necessary. Unless you want one of your five members suspended, I suggest we leave it alone." Shelby says turning back to the New Directions coach. How did this turn into the two coaches fighting?

"May I ask how Finn would get suspended in this situation? He was just punched in the face."

"Because since everything happened with the Hummel boy last year, the school now has a no tolerance policy for bullying based on sexual orientation. In fact, if I read the teacher's handbook correctly, Mr. Hudson here will actually receive a longer suspension than Noah. Plus I can insure you that because Rachel was involved in all of this, I will make sure that he pays the price." The same smug smile that I have seen reside on Rachel's face now resides on Shelby lips. "So did you still want to go to Figgins?" She asks crossing her arms.

"No, I think we're done here." Shue says through gritted teeth.

"Dude! That was awesome! You're amazing Ms. C!" Puck says with a wave as he makes his way down the hallway.

"That really was awesome," I tell her, "How did you even know we were here?"

"I got a text from a number I didn't recognize. I decided to check it out anyway." Shelby answers.

"What number?" Rachel asks, speaking for the first time since Shelby appeared.

"Um," She stalls as she takes her phone out of her pocket, "this one" she finishes as she turns the phone for us to see.

When I see the number, I am completely confused.

"Isn't that Quinn's number?" Rachel asks beside me. I just nod my response. "Why would she help you save us?" Rachel asks Shelby as if she would have any clue.

"I really don't know, but I'm glad she did. Are you guys ok?" She asks both of us though she is only looking at Rachel.

"Yea just a little shook up is all." She answers.

"Ok well if you want to bail out on the rest of the day, go ahead, I can write you a pass saying it's for practice." Shelby offers. I instantly get excited at the prospect of leaving early and spending more time alone with Rachel and Skylar. Rachel of course has other plans.

"No that's quite alright, I cannot keep missing classes."

"Oh come on Rae! We can have some alone time." I say wiggling my eyebrows at her playfully at her.

"Ew." Shelby inserts but goes ignored.

"Santana, if I am not going to go to classes, then there is no reason for me to have even come back here." She states giving me a look that lets me know what she's talking about.

"But isn't that all the more reason to go home then?" I ask with a smile.

"It's not happening." She says simply, and I know that I lost.

"What are you two talking about?" Shelby asks.

"None of your business." Rachel is quick to answer. Shelby looks down to hide the hurt that flashes across her face, but I still see it. I think Rachel does too because she starts shifting uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry, that was rude. But honestly I'm not going to tell you what were talking about. It's private and you haven't earned the privilege to know yet." Rachel amends a little nicer than the first time.

"I understand. If you girls change your mind, you know where to find me."

"Actually, I couldn't find your office again if I tried." Rachel jokes with a little smile. I can tell that she is trying to make an effort, which is all that anyone can really ask of her.

"That actually makes sense, I still get lost sometimes," Shelby jokes back.

After saying our goodbyes, the three of us go our separate ways. Unfortunately I do not make it far down the hallway before I am met with the sight of Brittany crying in a corner. What the hell happened last period? It's like everyone took crazy pills!

I quickly make my way up to Brittany and sit down next to her, the second she notices that it is me she throws herself into my arms and climbs onto my lap.

"B what's wrong?" I ask while trying to move some of her blonde hair so I can see her face.

"Ar-Ar-Artie ca-called me stu-stupid!" She stutters out before starting to sob loudly again.

Just another name to add to the list of people I need to kill. How dare he call Brittany stupid!

"Brittany, calm down ok. I know you're hurt, but you're going to be ok. He's just a dumb boy. He doesn't know what he's talking about! You're a genius, B."

"No I'm n-not. You don-don't have to li-lie to me San." She says while trying to calm herself down.

"Britt, you may not be a genius when it comes to books and school, but you are when it comes to people. You knew before I did that I loved Rae, right? You can't listen to him B."

I continue to hold her until her cries turn into hiccups. When she finally lifts her head out from under my chin, my heart breaks because her make up is all over the place and it's clear she has been crying.

"What happened B?" I finally ask

"He came up to me after we walked out of class, I was going to follow you through the crowd to make sure that everything was ok, but he grabbed my hand and told me to follow him. I wasn't going to, but he told me everything was probably fine, and that you didn't need me." It sounds like Artie was in on Finn's little plan.

"Then he had me sit with him in a classroom and told me that he missed me. I told him that I missed him too, because I really did! He told me not to lie, because if I really missed him, I would still be in New Directions so we can be around each other more." She starts to sniffle again, and her voice makes it clear that she's close to tears again. Artie seriously ruined a chance to be with an amazing girl just so they didn't lose New Directions?

"When I told him I couldn't and that I needed to be with you and Rachie, he called you guys a bad word and said that I didn't need to be with you because you had someone else to have sweet lady kisses with. I didn't understand, because we haven't had those since me and him started dating. But he didn't believe me and he said that you were just washing my brain and that I was letting you. I explained to him that I would totally remember if you washed my brain because getting to my brain would totally hurt and he asked my how I could be so stupid!" By the end of the story she was sobbing again.

I hold her tightly again until her sobs subside and then grab her hand and walk her down to where I think Shelby's office is. I explain what happened to our glee coach and Shelby writes Brittany a pass to leave early.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you B?" I ask for the third time. I don't like the idea of her being on her own when she's this upset.

"Yea I'll be fine, I think I'm just going to go home and cuddle Lord Tubbington until I have to be back for Cheerios," She explains and I just nod and walk her out to her car.

This day seriously went from totally awesome straight to hell so fast; I honestly have no idea how it happened so quickly. I thought for sure that we were home free when no one said anything earlier, but apparently I was wrong.

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. I kept trying to catch Quinn to talk to her, but she seemed to be avoiding me. I really want to know why she got Shelby involved. If she hates me as much as I assume she does, then why help out?

It's Friday when I finally am able to catch her. She is turning a corner so I quickly catch up to her and drag her into an empty classroom so we can talk.

"What the hell Manhands, don't touch me!" She spits out and tears her arm from my grasp.

"Well hello to you too Quinn, and may I say that you are the most confusing person I have ever met."

"Well that's convenient because you're the most annoying."

Wow. Ok, so she wants to play that way. Fine. "Look, I honestly don't care what you think of me Quinn, I just wanted to say thank you for letting Shelby know that we could use her help in the hallway. I don't understand why you did it, but I am grateful nonetheless." I say and turn to walk out of the classroom.

"Wait! I'm sorry." I instantly freeze mid step. Never, in all the years I have known Quinn, have I known her to say sorry.

"What the hell is going on with you? You're like Bi-Polar or something. You hate me but you help me, you hate me, but you say you're sorry?" I spin to look at her again with what I'm sure is a very confusing look on my face.

"I don't hate you." She says quietly. I give her a somewhat hopeful smile. I like to think that I don't care what she thinks of me, but I know that's a lie. I care what everyone thinks of me even though no one thinks that the words they use hurt me.

"I mean I don't like you, but I don't hate you either." My hopeful smile vanishes and I roll my eyes. I momentarily think about the fact that I would owe Santana two minutes of snuggle time with Sky if she were here, and I have to hold back a giggle and force myself to concentrate on the situation at hand.

"Whatever Quinn, you know, I'm sorry I even made an effort to be grateful. Forget I said anything." I say and spin on my heels a second time.

"Santana is my best friend. Well she was my best friend, she and B."

Again I stop and I'm confused as to why she is telling me this.

"I messed up with both of them, and really they messed up with me too, but that doesn't really stop it from hurting every time I see that they moved on without me. Then you come back and instantly you are in both of their good graces, and immediately you're their third. So I don't hate you, but I don't like you either. I miss my friends though Rachel, so I helped _Santana_ out."

"That doesn't explain why you were always a bitch to me before. If you never hated me, why pick on me."

"Because you're annoying and were trying to go after my boyfriend." She said with an eye roll.

I let out a little giggle. "I guess I can understand that."

"I asked Shelby to join the Trouble Tones." Quinn tells me out of the blue after a moment of silence. I instantly stiffen. The Trouble Tones is supposed to be a place where _I_ belong. A place _I_ am comfortable and don't have to worry about being picked on. If Quinn joins, I'll lose that security.

"Relax, she said no. She told me that she couldn't let me into the group when I spend most of my time torturing you. Plus she figured out that I was mostly doing it to get closer to Beth. I heard Puck say that she offered to let him babysit some time." She says looking down and shrugging her shoulders.

I am actually surprised that Shelby stood up for me like that. "Why are you telling me this?" I ask

"Because, I thought maybe you could talk to her. I promise to leave you alone while we're there, but I want to get the chance to play nice with her and maybe get my friends back as well." She tells me.

"I'm sorry Quinn, but I don't trust that you won't pick on me and right now the Trouble Tones is a place that I am excited to go to because I get to sing and hang out with friends at the same time. You being there will jeopardize that. If Shelby doesn't want you there then there is nothing I can do."

"More like nothing you will do."

"What do you expect Quinn? That I'll just roll over and let you do whatever you want because you gave me a half assed apology?"

"You forgave Santana. Why can't you forgive me?"

"Because Santana actually apologized and meant it! Because Santana made an effort to change! Because Santana hasn't called me a horrible nickname since before I left! You called me Manhands the second we started talking! So no, I won't help you. You want in the Trouble Tones? Figure out a way to do it on your own. You want your friends back? I suggest you get your head out of your ass and stop being such a bitch!" With that I turn and leave the room, slamming the door behind me.

The nerve of her! Comparing herself to Santana. They are nothing alike! Well at least not anymore. I take a deep breath before making my way towards my next class.

"Rachel!" I hear Shelby call me from the opposite end of the hallway. I turn around and see her half running half walking towards me. I stiffen; I really don't want to deal with her right now.

"Is everything ok? You looked upset and then Quinn came out of the same classroom you did. I wanted to make sure she didn't hurt you or anything." She says with concern lacing her voice. I start to relax, when I realize she really is only trying to help.

"Everything is fine Shelby, I am just so over her bitchy, selfish ways." I say rolling my eyes.

After a moment of hesitation, Shelby finally asks, "Do you have a moment to talk? I actually was hoping to catch you today at some point."

I check the time on my phone and realize that catching Quinn and then the subsequent conversation took longer than I thought. I only had twenty minutes left of the current period anyway.

"If you write me a pass for this class, I guess I do have a few minutes to talk."

She beams at me and starts to walk towards her office motioning for me to follow her, which I do. When we get into her office we sit similarly to the way we did when I was in here on Monday.

Shelby looks noticeably more nervous than she did in the hallway.

"What's going on Shelby?" I ask starting to catch onto the fact that she is extremely nervous.

"Ok, so- um- I wanted to talk to you, because well.."

"Shelby, you're freaking me out. What's going on?" I ask again, starting to get a little anxious myself.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little nervous." No. Really?

"I can see that, but just ask whatever it is you want to." I ask getting somewhat annoyed now.

"How are you and Santana doing?" She rushes out, making it obvious that that is not what she originally wanted to ask me.

"No offense Shelby, but as our teacher, that's not really something you need to know. I promise that our relationship won't effect the Trouble Tones though." I try to tell her as politely as possible.

"No. That's not why I was asking. I was just…making sure that she…is she treating you right Rach?"

"Shelby, what's going on?" I ask for the third time, "We decided that you weren't going to do the motherly thing, so I'm confused."

"I told you that I wouldn't do the motherly thing because I wanted to make you comfortable. And I will continue with that plan if you prefer it, but I wanted to see if it is at all possible to work on our relationship. Our mother-daughter relationship." I just stare at her, because she hasn't even been here a week, how has she changed her mind so quickly?

"Rachel if you don't want to, then fine, we won't. But I would love if you could give me a second chance to prove myself to you. I promise you won't regret it this time. I just want to be in your life Rachel, as more than just a glee coach."

I let out a sigh and say, "I don't know Shelby, I really don't think that I could handle getting hurt by you again."

"I understand that. And I would try my best not to hurt you again. And I can promise you that I would never leave again if that's what you're afraid is going to happen."

"I know that you think you won't, but you can't be sure about that. You can't promise that."

"No, I can't, but I will try my hardest."

I sit there quietly for a little while, thinking of my options. If I take her up on the offer and she disappears again, I'm not sure I could handle it. But if she does stick around it would be nice to have a parental figure. Antonio is awesome, but as welcomed as he makes me feel, he's still Santana's dad, not mine. Do I really believe that Shelby could be my mom and not just my birth mother? I want to say yes, I want to so badly, but I honestly am not sure. I really don't know if I can trust her. She already has Beth, who's to say that she won't decide that the baby is enough for her.

On the other side of the argument though I couldn't imagine not having Skylar in my life. If for some reason I had lost her, I would do anything to get the chance to get her back. But is that the same thing?

"I'm not trying to pressure you Rachel." Shelby says breaking me out of my thoughts. "Why don't you take the weekend to think it over and talk about it with your dads and Santana. Decide what you want and what you think is best, and whatever you choose, I will stand by it. I really want you to be comfortable around me. If that's not possible in a mother-daughter capacity then I completely understand. That was my fault and I'll take the consequences. Just let me know." She says sincerely.

I stand up with a stiff nod of the head. "I'll let you know on Monday." I tell her before walking out of the room.

I'm not sure how I feel right now. I'm excited that she is trying. I'm nervous that she will change her mind randomly. I'm terrified that if I decide to do this and she finds out about Skylar that she will cause problems for my family. I'm worried that even if I decide not to further our relationship that she will find out about my fathers leaving. If that happens, can she force me to live with her? Does it matter that I'm almost 18? What would happen to Skylar? Can she take her from me? Could she keep her as her own? I couldn't live with that!

I realize now that I'm not breathing. Why does this keep happening? I never used to have panic attacks before, but since school started I feel like I have them all the time.

I drop to my knees and try to breathe, but it feels like I'm trying to breathe through a straw. This just helps me to freak out even more. Am I going to die? What will happen to Skylar? Would they let Santana and Tony take her? Should I have made a will? I don't want her to end up in foster care!

"Rae! You need to breathe!" Santana says as she quickly drops to her knees in front of me. Where the hell did she come from? And how did she find me?

Santana grabs my hand and presses it to her chest. "Breathe with me sweetie. Come on Rae, I really don't want you to pass out again. It can't be healthy for that to happen twice in one week." She says helping me to take my mind off of everything else. She is the only person who could get me to calm down so quickly. She really is great to me and for me.

Once I have calmed down, I slump forward to lean against her. "How did you know where I was?" I ask once I get my bearings a little more.

"Shelby texted me to tell me that I may want to find you because you had a lot going on in your head and she didn't want something happening. So I came."

"How do you even know where her office is? I don't even know where we are right now?" I say with a little chuckle.

Santana matches my chuckle and says, "I needed to bring B here earlier this week. Come on lets go. I'll have Shelby sign us out for the rest of the day."

"Santì I don't want to leave." I whine.

"Too bad, you need to relax. It's really not good for you to be having panic attacks this much."

I let out a huff that ended up turning into a sigh as Santana wraps her arms around me to help me up. "Fine." I concede and melt into her embrace more.

We start to walk down the hallway and she keeps her arms securely around me. "You want to tell my why you had this one?" She asks referring to the panic attack.

"I'll explain it when we get back home." I tell her and luckily she accepts that and just tightens her hold on me. I wrap my arms around her to as we walk out of the school.

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><p><strong>Hope you liked how I incorporated Quinn a little more :)<strong>

**Let me know if there is anything you guys would like to see happen and I will make an attempt to fit it in if possible :)**

**Please leave a review! I love reading what you think!**


	15. Chapter 15

**This chapter is pretty much just a filler chapter. I wanted to bring Antonio back and add a few things in before the next chapter, which will have a time jump.. "It's so fluffy I could DIE!" ('Despicable Me' anyone? been waiting to use that for a while.. and yes I'm aware of how lame that is lol) However for being filled to the rim with fluff.. this also ended up being rather long lol**

**Want to say a huge thanks to my beta GE0309.. she definitely came up with pretty much the entire concept of this chapter.. so yea haha.. Your awesome!**

**Just want to give you all a heads up.. I am going into a busy few weeks at school.. I am still trying to make sure to work on this along with homework, but there maybe times within the next two weeks that I don't update everyday.. I will try my best though :)**

**Disclaimer: Glee is not mine.. Skylar is :) **

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 15<strong>_

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

After the panic attack at school, Santana and I made our way back to my house to relax. We decided on our way there that we would let Barb leave early, grab Sky, and just lie down and watch a movie or something. It sounds like complete bliss to me; snuggling up to my two favorite people in the entire universe, what could be better?

When we walk through the door we are met with the sounds of Skylar's cries coming from the kitchen. I look over to Santana and her face matches what I'm assuming mine looks like, pure amusement. Skylar is obviously sitting in the highchair. Though her tantrums are only amusing when you're not the one dealing with them.

We walk into the kitchen and sure enough, Sky is sitting in the chair while Barb makes her food seemingly unaffected by the baby's tears. When we walk in fully, Skylar looks straight at us and cries harder, trying to make herself look as pitiful as possible. I can tell that Santana is trying her hardest to stay strong.

"Excuse me, what do you two think you're doing home?" Barb asks in a motherly, chastising tone, one that surprisingly quiets the crying baby down. Strange.

"Rae had a panic attack and almost passed out at school so I got us both excused from the rest of the day so she could rest and recover." Santana says nonchalantly as I turn and slap her arm. Why does she keep going around telling people stuff that I don't want them to know?

Skylar looks confused by the slap. She doesn't seem to like the idea of me hitting _her_ Santana because her tears quickly turn back on and she reaches out for Santana. I just role my eyes because what else is there to do. She is such a little trader.

Santana can't hold back anymore. I knew she wouldn't be able to as soon as Skylar reached for her specifically. She is loving the fact that Skylar seems so comfortable with her now. Honestly, so am I.

As soon as Skylar is securely in Santana's arms the six month old's cries start to die down again. "I'm ok Princesa, your mommy didn't hurt me, see." She says holding her arm up for the infant to see. "She was just playing around. We're both ok." She tells the baby in a soft voice.

"Santana Lopez! You did not take that little girl out of her chair! She has to learn to sit in there without crying!" Barb chastises. I can't help the little giggle that escapes when Santana actually looks frightened of Barb. She quickly places Skylar back in the chair.

"Lima Heights Adjacent huh?" I jibe.

"Shut up." She responds with a pout.

"You're too cute." I say and kiss her protruding bottom lip without even thinking.

"Hm, well that's new." Barb speculates from where she is setting herself up in front of the highchair.

"Yea…" I say somewhat warily. I never really got a read on how Barbara felt about same-sex relationships, "you don't have a problem with it do you?" I ask in a small voice.

"If I had a problem with it, I would have probably left when I first figured out that you both had feelings for each other." She says with a chuckle before bringing her full attention back to my daughter. "Isn't that right Monster, we saw it all along didn't we." The babysitter says in a high-pitched voice.

"Well I'm glad your ok with it then, because yes it is still new, but Santana and I have decided to try our hand at a relationship stronger than just friendship." I explain and out of the corner of my eye I can see Santana smiling at me with amusement in her eyes. I realize that I just broke into my old Rachel Berry speak. I just roll my eyes and playfully push her for making fun of me.

She grabs my arm that I used to push her and pulls me to stand in front of her as she wraps her arms around me and rests her chin on my shoulder. I instantly lean into her chest and take comfort in her embrace. I really don't know how I went my whole life without feeling this warmth and comfort, because I don't think I could survive without it anymore.

"Well as long as you're both happy than I don't care who you date. And I haven't see you smile this much in the month that I've known you Rachel, so it's all good in my books." Barb states, and I smile with a small blush on my cheeks. "So what are your plans for today? Do you guys want to get some rest and I can take the monster out to the park or something?" She asks kindly.

"Actually, we were thinking of just spending sometime together, just the three of us, so you are free to take the rest of the day off. Paid of course." I say with a cheeky grin. Since my dad's are technically paying Barb, I have no problem over paying her and allowing her to get paid even when she isn't here.

"Well you don't have to tell me twice. As much as I love spending time with the little Princess, I always enjoy some alone time as well." She says with a smile as she feeds Skylar the last spoonful of mashed peas.

For as much as Sky hates being in the highchair, she doesn't seem to hate the food. She actually seems to really enjoy it; recently she has been eating almost all of it with little struggle. I think she really just misses the connection she gets when she is breastfeeding. I bet that if we held her while we fed her, she would give us no problems. At the same time, I know that she needs to get used to the chair. It's really hard for me to decide what to do in situations like that.

I don't even realize that Santana and Barb are talking around me right now, or that Barb had packed up her stuff and started heading for the door. I am so lost in my own head that the only thing that pulls me from it is Santana releasing her hold on me. I sigh at the loss of contact.

"Come on Niña Bonita." My girlfriend says as she lifts Skylar out of the chair.

"You love being the one to get her out of the torturous chair don't you." It was more of a statement than a question; Santana will do basically anything to get on Skylar's good side. I find it funny that she's whipped by the infant, but decide to keep quiet about it because it's funnier to watch when Santana has no idea it's happening.

"No need to prolong her torture," She says in a normal voice to me before turning to the infant in her arms and finishing in the voice she reserves for her, "is there Princesa? No there's not! Mommy just likes to leave you there, doesn't she?" My jaw drops at her statement. Santana just looks at me with her patented smirk on her face.

"Hey! I'm fine with you being nicer to the kid than you are to me, but don't try to turn my own daughter against me!" I say in faux betrayal.

"Oh I'm sorry babe, I don't try to be nicer to the baby than you," She says thinking that I'm being serious.

"Babe?" I ask with a smile on my face. All thoughts of our previous conversation leave my head with that one word.

"Uh, yea, sorry that kind of just slipped out. If you don't like it I won't use it –"

I cut her off with a kiss. She may think it's too cliché, but I don't have the same qualms with it. The kiss instinctually becomes deeper as I get lost in the feeling of Santana's lips on mine. It constantly surprises me how well our lips fit together. Skylar, still being in Santana's arms, is apparently confused by what is going on, and assumes that we are just giving out kisses, because she leans forward in the Latina's arms and adds a kiss to my cheek. Although her kisses are still more of an open mouth slobber fests. I instantly pull back from Santana and look at the baby with a smile. She has a wide smile on her face, obviously proud of herself for figuring out how to gain our attention without causing anyone pain, which both Santana and I are grateful for. Usually Sky had been gaining our attention by slapping us or throwing things at us, which has been causing her to get in more trouble than usual.

The throwing really had to stop, the spoon had only resulted in a bruised eye for Santana, but I really don't want anything worse to happen, after that she luckily had only thrown softer things like her stuffed toys. With her starting to sit up on her own, you would think that she would be becoming more independent, but it seemed to only make her want more attention instead. Something she obviously got from Jesse and not me.

"Hey! Where's my kiss Missy?" The taller girl asks acting offended. She then puckers her lips so that Skylar understands what she's looking for and points to her cheek. Skylar instantly takes the hint and leans forward and plants a wet open-mouthed kiss to the side of Santana's face as well. I just watch and giggle at the exchange.

"Come on Sillies lets put in a movie."

We decide to watch animated film so that Skylar can watch with us, and quickly snuggle up onto the coach. Santana leans against the back of the couch next to the arm with the recliner pulled out. I lean against her and share her recliner with her and we lay Skylar between us. Everyone seems to feel completely comfortable like this.

About halfway through the film, I realize that Skylar and Santana are both out cold. I move to pick Skylar up so that I can move her to her crib but Santana grunts and holds me closer to her. I let out a giggle.

"Santì I need to put her in her crib." I whisper, even though my normal speaking voice most likely won't wake the baby.

"No. Stay." She says sleepily.

"I am going to come back, I just want to get her into her crib." I explain.

"No both of you stay," She says holding on tighter. I want to be annoyed. I really do, but instead I let out a louder giggle.

"Santì." I whine and she just lets out her own whine as she sits up more.

"Why don't we compromise? We all go upstairs and snuggle on your bed. Skylar included." I am about to refuse her compromise, because I still don't like the idea of getting Skylar into that routine, but once I see the pleading look on the Latina's face I know I can't refuse her.

"Fine. But this isn't becoming a regular thing Santana, I need her to keep her normal routine, especially since were not even supposed to be here right now."

"Babe, it takes like ten times for something to become a routine, we're fine. It's more like a treat." She says with a smile. I roll my eyes and lean forward to give her a chaste kiss before scooping up the still slumbering baby and carrying her upstairs. About halfway up the stairs though Santana's phone starts playing 'Butterfly Kisses' alerting her to a call from Antonio.

"You answer that and I'll get her changed and situated." I tell her and she nods as answers the phone.

By the time she's done with her call Skylar and I are already in bed snuggling. The infant instantly snuggled onto my chest the second she was placed there, and I'm actually starting to wonder why I have always put a stop to this. Sure I had snuggled with her while she slept before, but I rarely slept with her in my bed, mostly because I'm afraid of rolling over onto her, but having her with me now I am starting to rethink my initial ruling on the subject.

"So. Bad news." Santana says announcing her presence as she walks back in the room. I look up at her curiously. "I put that I was in a relationship on Facebook, completely forgetting that I was friends with Papi." I am still not sure what the problem is.

"Um, I thought you were out to your dad." I state with furrowed brows.

"I am." Santana answers as she climbs into bed beside me, she instantly snuggles into my side and places her hand on top of mine, which is laying on Skylar's back.

"I don't understand the problem then." I tell her.

"He wants to have family time tomorrow." She says with a sigh.

"Babe, we've spent the day away from each other before, I don't see why you're so upset. You love spending time with your dad." I love the way the term of endearment sounds coming out of my mouth when it's being directed at the cheerleader. She seems to too because I can feel her smile against my shoulder, though it quickly disappears. "Two minute Skylar snuggle time comes to me." I say but it goes unacknowledged.

"No Rae. He wants family time including you. Obviously Skylar as well." She says with another sigh. Why does she sound so down on this idea? Is she ashamed to have me over with her dad now that we're dating? I figured it would be easier since I already know Tony and we get along so well. I don't understand why she wouldn't want me to go over to meet him as her official girlfriend. He probably doesn't even know that it's me that she's in a relationship with, I haven't accepted her relationship request yet because I haven't been on the site yet. I can't help the hurt that builds inside me and manifests itself in the form of tears.

"Um- Ok. Well if you don't- we don't have to do it if you don't want to. I- I can come up with some excuse." I hate that my voice is breaking right now. This is stupid; I don't know why I'm so hurt by this. So what if my girlfriend is ashamed to show me off to her dad.

Santana takes her head off of my shoulder and hovers over me. "Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing." I try to toss it aside like it's not important. "I'm not sure which lie will work on your father though, he is Sky's doctor so I couldn't say that she's sick. I could tell him that maybe I am –"

"Do you want to come over tomorrow?" She asks effectively cutting me off. Which was probably best because I really couldn't think of a valid excuse as to why I couldn't come. Although if he doesn't know that I'm me then I guess my excuse doesn't have to make sense.

"It doesn't matter, you don't want me to come, that's fine, I understand. I get that you may not want your dad knowing that you're dating a teenage mother." I say looking down at the head of curls lying on my chest.

"Rae, he knows I'm dating you. He's known about my feelings for you since the first time he saw us together, why else do you think he acted like such a freak? I want you to come over and spend the day with us, but my dad is going to get ten times stranger now, and it's totally embarrassing." She says while rolling her eyes. "He always tries to show my dates baby pictures and tries to scare them away, though I don't think he'll try to scare you away. But still, some times he comes on a little strong around you and it's only going to get worse now that we're together, and I don't want him to accidentally scare you away." She rambles on causing me to giggle. She seems to catch on to it too because she abruptly stops and looks down at me with a sheepish smile on her face.

"Babe there's nothing your father could do that would scare me away, trust me. If him looking as if he was trying to kidnap my daughter the first time we met didn't scare me off, I think we're home free." I say with a giggle remembering how Tony acted towards Sky the first time we met. He continues to act like that every time we see each other but now I'm used to it so it's not strange to me anymore. Thinking back I really can't believe I left Skylar with him that day, but there's just something about him that made me trust him immediately. I shrug at my own thought process and Santana looks at me strangely. I just giggle at how stupid I just looked.

"We'll go and we will have an amazing time. I will love seeing baby pictures of you and embarrassing you, but I promise I'll still be sticking by your side at the end of the night." I joke while giving her a quick kiss. "Can we nap now? I'm tired." I ask with a yawn. Santana just nods and picks Skylar off my chest in order to reverse our positions. I roll my eyes but still comply with her change in snuggling position.

After waking up from our nap, the rest of the day went by pretty quickly. Usually on weekends, Santana stayed over but we weren't sure how Tony would feel about that given the new development in our relationship. Honestly I'm not sure I know how I feel about it given the development.

The next morning Sky wakes me up from a far from perfect sleep a little earlier than usual. I think that she knows we are going to see one of her favorite people today and is a little over excited. In fact she has been fussy all morning and I'm thinking that that is the reason.

When it's finally time to go I dress her in one of her cutest outfits and load her in the car. When I join her in the drivers seat, I am all of a sudden hit with an unexpected amount of nerves. What if he doesn't like me? Sure he liked me before, but would he like me as his daughter's girlfriend? Will he approve of this? Did he ask me to come over so that he could tell me that he doesn't want me seeing his daughter?

This is crazy, what's the use in freaking out before even getting there? Santana said that he knew it was me before she even told him so I'm probably fine. I just need to calm down.

While I'm still in the process of calming myself down, my cell chimes alerting me to a text. The message that I see makes me laugh out loud and instantly relax.

**From Santì: Don't freak out. He loves you! He just wants to make me uncomfortable and embarrass me as early into the relationship as possible. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. I should be the one freaking out. 3**

I have no idea how she can tell exactly how I'm feeling, especially since she's across town right now. I am also glad that she has gotten out of the habit of using text speak while texting me, it drove me crazy!

When I arrive at the Lopez mansion- I mean house, I don't even have time to get out of the car before both Santana and Tony are racing and wrestling to see who can get to Skylar first. Strangely Antonio wins the fight and I don't even hold back the laugh that bubbles up at the adorable pout that forms on the younger Lopez's face.

"Wow, I'm starting to feel like I was only invited over strictly because I'm Skylar's ride." I fake in a hurt voice and pout. Santana's pout instantly disappears and she comes over to me and gives me a hug.

"You know that I could never invite you over _strictly_ for that." She jokes. "Hey babe." She adds as an after thought. She leans forward to give me a kiss, and I turn my head giving her my cheek because for one, her father was right next to us and two, I wanted to continue to act hurt. Although in reality I am ecstatic that they are both so happy to see Skylar.

"Oh come on! Don't be like that." My smile cracks though my fake scowl and Santana matches it, "That's more like it. Can I get my kiss now?" She asks rhetorically before leaning in again. Again she gets the cheek. She immediately pouts again. She is reminding me vaguely of Brittany right now.

"Santì your father is literally right there," I say pointing to the man standing two feet away from us playing with the baby in his arms. "It's a little disrespectful to show PDA in front of him."

"A freakin' bomb could go off in front of him and he wouldn't realize unless someone took Sky out of his arms first." She says before surging forward and capturing my lips before I can realize what's going on. The little sneak. Right now I can't be bothered to care though.

We continue to get lost in the kiss until Tony's voice breaks though to me, "Sky, does your mommy and Tana do this in front of you all the time? Do they completely forget you're here like this?" Tony jokes and I turn to look at him, against Santana's protests. I start laughing at Sky's face, because it really looks as if she is saying 'Finally someone understands my plight."

"Sorry Tony, I told her no at first, but she can be very persuasive." I tell him and he just shakes his head and moves over to give me a hug.

It is only then that I realize we are still standing on the curb for anyone to see. I start looking around to make sure that there is no one around, and Santana takes that a cue to usher us all inside.

When we get inside, Santana asks if anyone wants a drink and then goes off to fetch them. Once the Latina is out of the room, it's like Skylar realizes that she hasn't said 'hi' to the female Lopez yet because she starts to look around for her. The second Santana steps back into the room, with her hands full of drinks, Skylar reaches out for her leaning as far out of Tony's arms as she could and lets out a pitiful whine. Santana is quick to place all the drinks on the table and go and snatch the baby up from her father. Now it's the man's turn to pout. I can't help but laugh even harder at that.

"Don't feel bad Tony, sometimes I feel like Skylar loves Santana more than me even. As much as it pains me to say it, you're never going to stand a chance in the war for Sky's affection." I joke with him with a lopsided smile. Although it's not much of a joke, I really do feel sometimes like Sky likes Santana better than me. It doesn't upset me like I thought it would, I'm actually ok with it as long as it's just Santana, and as long as the baby still proves that she loves me also. Honestly, I have no problem with Skylar loving other people. It's completely healthy.

"She does seem completely smitten with her, but the way she continues to look up in order to make sure you're still around tells me that no one can replace you in Skylar's eyes." He tells me trying to make me feel better. I give him a huge smile before walking over to where my daughter and girlfriend were snuggling on the couch. As soon as I'm close enough Skylar reaches out for me.

"Hey! What about me? You totally spent more time with Papi than me!" She asks Sky. I think she may actually be upset right now. I feel bad taking the baby from her, but how do you say no when Skylar is whining like that?

"Oh Mija stop. The poor baby just wants her mother." I can hear the smile on the Latino's lips without even looking up.

"You're just happy because she wanted to be with you more." She grumbles. Skylar looks over at the Latina as if trying to figure out why she is all of a sudden upset. The little girl looks up at me for answers. I just raise an eyebrow at her and wait for her to make the next move. The baby looks back to Santana and leans forwards on my lap to reach for her again.

When Santana gets the baby back on her lap a smile instantly reforms on her lips. Skylar sees this and then smiles just as big, clearly proud of herself for figuring out the trick to make the older girl happy.

"So girls, are you going to explain to me why I received an update on your relationship status and a brief description of said relationship while you were both supposed to be at school?" Tony asks with mild disappointment in his voice.

"Rae had another panic attack, and I thought it was best that I took her home to rest." Santana says nonchalantly like that totally makes it ok that we left school early. I sit back waiting for her father to refute her claim, but it never came. "Rae, you never did end up telling me why you were freaking out." I was actually surprised that I got away with that last night, but it's probably best that I talk to her now. It would be nice to get hers and Antonio's opinions on the subject.

"Shelby asked me if I would be comfortable trying to further our relationship in a familiars sense." I explain, falling back into my old speaking patterns. I realize that I start doing that when nervous.

I hear Santana let out a low growl next to me. Skylar looks up at her with a mix between fear and amusement on her face. The baby quickly decides on amusement and starts laughing and clapping at the noise.

"I told that bitch not to push you! And yet she still does and you end up having a panic attack and almost passing out in school?" She's fuming right now. Oddly, Skylar still seems to have no problem being in her arms.

"She isn't pushing," I say looking down at my hands. "She actually is being pretty great about it. She said that it was completely my choice and whatever I decide she will respect."

"Rach, how do you feel about all of this? What do _you_ want to do?" Tony asks.

"I really don't know. Honestly, I want to have her in my life, but I'm afraid that if I let her in she'll hurt me again. Plus I'm worried what she will do if and when she finds out about my dads and Skylar." I say without taking my eyes off my hands.

"Ok, well from what I have heard about the situation, I'd say that's a valid fear. But if I know my daughter at all, I'd say that whatever threat she used on the woman probably was enough to scare her off if her intentions weren't solid." He explains and I look over to my girlfriend who looks conflicted.

"I did threaten her, and so did Sue. She looked pretty invested." She says reluctantly.

"Furthermore, your almost 18 Rachel, there's not much the state can or will do at this point. Your situation is not ok in the least, and I am not condoning what your fathers did to you, but if the state were to find out, CPS would probably leave you alone. If for some reason they didn't, I would take you in, in a heartbeat. That part of it shouldn't really be part of your consideration process." He explains as he sits next to me on the couch bringing me into a side hug, I lean into the hug willingly.

"Rae, I'm not saying that I fully trust Shelby yet, but she honestly seems like she wants to be in your life. She even pulled me aside and told me not to hurt you, when we first came out. Plus I would be a little bit of a hypocrite if I said not to give her a second chance when you gave me one." She says looking at me. If Santana thinks that it's a good idea and Tony is saying that CPS shouldn't be a problem, there really isn't anything holding me back.

"Ok, I'll talk to her on Monday. Could you possibly come with me the first time we hang out?" I ask looking at the cheerleader.

"Of course. Do you really have to ask?" She says as she leans forward and presses her lips to mine in a quick kiss.

The rest of the day goes by really well. We spend the entire time playing with Skylar and having a great time talking and joking around. Turns out that Santana was right to fear the picture albums because there were quite a few embarrassing ones in there. I am a little confused about the amount of pictures of Santana's mom. I assumed that Antonio and she were divorced or that she skipped town, but generally you don't keep solo pictures of a woman who left. Neither of them talked about her, they pretty much ignored her image, but the sad smiles on their faces whenever a picture of the woman popped up leads me to believe that Ms. Lopez may not be with them for another reason. I decided that it was best that I didn't ask. Santana will tell me when she's ready.

"Tana, why don't you go and start to cook dinner for us while we finish up this last book." Tony tells her.

"No, absolutely not. I told you not to even take that book out Papi!" Santana whines and now I'm even more intrigued by the last picture album. "You made that promise to me Papi, you can't break it! If you do I will make sure that me and Rachel don't bring Skylar over here ever again!" I really, really want to see this album, but if she feels so strongly about it I will let it be. For now.

"Tony, it's fine. I've seen enough embarrassing pictures to hold over her head for a long time, no need to dig your heals in." I laugh. "But I got to ask, what's so bad about the last album?"

"It's pictures of Tana at bath time!" I start cracking up.

"Shut up." Santana mumbles as she stands before placing a kiss on the top of my head and then Sky's head before sticking her tongue out at Tony and grabbing the forbidden picture album.

My eyes trail her as she leaves the room and only leave her form once she is out of eyesight. "You really like her don't you?" the doctor asks.

"I really, really do. She has been amazing to both Sky and I over the last month, and I couldn't help but fall hard for her. I'm just happy that she was there to catch me." I say with a fond smile while looking up into my girlfriend's father's eyes.

"Don't hurt her please Rachel. She may seem unbreakable but I can see it in her eyes, you definitely have the power to break her." He says sincerely. I understand that he is giving me the nicer version of 'hurt my daughter and I break your face speech'. And I just nod my head at him. I would never intentionally hurt her.

We sit in silence for a few moments stewing in what was just said, before I finally get the courage to ask him what I have wanted to ask him since I got here. "I know that I don't really have the right to ask anything of you sir, but still I need to ask you for a favor." I tell him and hope that he doesn't laugh in my face for asking him for a favor, as if he isn't doing enough for me.

"First of all, I hear you call me Sir again, we're going to have problems Javencita." He says in mock anger, "and I will do any favor you ask for." He tells me and I shoot him a huge smile, and explain my plan to him.

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

After dinner Rachel and Skylar stayed for a little while longer. I tried to ask my dad if I could sleep over Rachel's house tonight, but he told me I wasn't allowed to. I even tried to see if they could stay here, since we had everything Sky needs to sleep here, again I got a no. My next plan of attack was to get Rachel to tell my dad that she didn't feel comfortable being alone, I know it was a low blow but I really wanted to spend the night with Rae and Sky, it feels like forever since we have. Rae said that she was fine staying alone, like she had no idea what I was trying to do! What the hell! It's like she didn't even want to spend time with me!

After I begrudgingly said my goodbyes, I stormed up to my room, completely ignoring my dad out of anger. As soon as I was alone, my mind started to work 1,000 miles per hour. Was I pushing her too much? Am I trying to move to quick for her? That's probably why she didn't want to spend the night, she thinks I'm a slut and will try to take advantage of her. I doubt that she would see me like that. Although she did before, didn't she? That statement was said more out of jealousy than anything else though. If I am pushing her too fast, how do I find out for sure? How do I know what pace is right for her? I know that this is her first relationship since everything happened, so I really don't want her to feel like I'm pushing her in any way.

I fell asleep with my head pounding from thinking about all the possibilities going though my mind.

Since I've woken up this morning, my dad has been acting completely strange. He has off today, so I figured that we could spend the day together. Go do something, grab dinner, the whole shebang, but when I ask him to go out he just said no and that he would prefer to stay in today. Seriously, what the hell is going on?

To make matters even stranger, after about three, he started stopping me from going into the kitchen or to my bedroom. It has been completely weird. Every time I get up he asks where I'm going and then approves it or disapproves it. I have been refused access to the kitchen to get a drink four times now. Every time I tell him where I'm going, he just says to sit down and he'll get it. It's weird as hell.

At around 5 PM, there's a knock at the door. I look at my dad completely confused because we weren't expecting anyone today. Even odder is that Papi makes no attempt to get up and answer the door.

"Really? You barely let me move all day, but now you're going to make me get the door?" I ask annoyed as I get up off the couch and answer the door. I am completely floored when I see Rachel standing on the other side of the door in a sundress, with Skylar on her hip. The annoyance I felt before is completely gone now. But why didn't I know they were coming?

"Hey you, what are you doing here? Not that I don't love seeing you."

"Oh you know, the usual." She says coyly as she steps around me and into my house. Great, now she's acting weird too. At least this will give me a chance to talk to her about last night. I really want to make sure she doesn't feel like I'm pressuring her. I realize that she just entered my house without really saying hi to me.

"Um, excuse me, do I get a kiss? Or anything?" I tell her somewhat hurt by her actions.

"I'm sorry baby," She says while stepping over to me again and kissing me on the cheek. I frown again.

"Thank you so much Antonio! You are the best!" She says while handing Skylar to him.

"Ok what the hell is going on?" I ask completely confused and on my way to pissed off now. It's like she is intentionally ignoring me. Did she just come over here to get my dad to babysit so she can go out? Where the hell is she going? And when the hell did she even ask my dad to watch the baby?

"It's a surprise!" Rachel says as she grabs my hand with one of her own and uses her other to cover my eyes. What?

"Rae, what are you doing? Why are you here? Why is my dad babysitting?" I fire off in rapid succession.

"Just relax Santì, you'll understand soon. Do you trust me?" She asks.

"Of course." Now I feel like an ass for doubting her.

"Bye Antonio, and thank you again! Text me if you need anything." She calls to my dad.

"Rae what's going on?" I ask her again.

"It's a surprise!" She tells me again with a giggle.

I huff but allow myself to be led to wherever it is that she is bringing me. After walking for about 1 minute she tells me that she is taking her hand off of my eyes but that I am to keep my eyes closed. I struggle to follow instructions, really curious about where we were going and what was happening, but nonetheless I keep my eyes closed. A second later her hand is over my eyes again and we continue walking. Not even thirty seconds later she takes her hand off my eyes again. I feel her wrap her arms around my waist from behind and she whispers in my ear telling me to open my eyes.

I open my eyes and let out a gasp as I take in my surroundings. We are standing in my backyard and there are candles lit all over the yard, in the middle there is a blanket with a picnic basket sitting on top of it and a whole bunch of pillows that I recognize from her house. I can't believe what I'm seeing. I look over to where she is now standing near the blanket and see that she is nervously fidgeting and playing with her hands.

"You set up a date for us?" I ask as my eyes start to mist.

"Well- You've been so good to me Santì and to Skylar as well. I wanted to do something nice for you, to show you how much I appreciate you and how much you mean to me. I know it's not normal for the first date to be a surprise, but it seemed fitting somehow. Like you surprised me by making me feel wanted, so I wanted to do the same for you." I'm speechless, I cannot think of one coherent thing to say. "I'm sorry, this was stupid. You probably wanted to spend the day with just you and your dad. We can just forget it. You can just go back in the house and I'll clean up here and then go grab Skylar so we can go. I'm sorry."

"Rachel. Stop." I tell her taking her hands in my own. "This is just… perfect. You're just perfect. I cannot believe you did all of this for me. Getting my father's help to distract me and setting things up all by yourself. I really can't believe how awesome you are."

"I just wanted to do something nice for you." She says quietly.

"This is more than nice Rae. This is... inexplicably perfect. I honestly didn't think that it was possible to fall further in love with you, but then you do things like this and prove me wrong." I say kissing her.

We move over to the blanket that is set up for us and she opens the basket to pull out the food inside. As soon as she pulls it out, I recognize the container immediately.

"Breadstix?" I squeal excitedly.

"Yes Breadstix," She says with a laugh. "I was going to cook, but I didn't want everything to get cold by the time I finished setting everything up so instead I set up, went and got the food, and then came back and lit all the candles." She said with a proud smile, obviously happy with herself for thinking of a better way to get this together properly.

"Rae, this is freaking amazing, but you could have brought me to McDonald's and it would still have been the best date of my life. As long as you're next to me, nothing could be better." I say with a loving smile, she returns it in kind and leans forward to capture my lips.

What was supposed to be a chaste kiss quickly turned into a mini make out session before she pulls away and says our food is going to be cold. I reluctantly agree and she goes back to unpacking the basket. I let out another high-pitched squeal when she pulls out a huge basket of bread sticks. God, I love this girl!

Our dinner was amazing, and after we were finished we laid on our backs looking up at the stars while snuggling close to each other. It was really the best date anyone has ever brought me on, even though it was only in my back yard.

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><p><strong>I hope that I didn't give anyone cavities with how sickly sweet this chapter ended up being.. I figured it was time to give you guys a drama-lite chapter with lots of sappiness in it haha.. <strong>

**Please Review! I love seeing what you guys think :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Not much to say about this chapter :) It has Skylar in it so hopefully that makes some people happy! lol**

**Thanks to everyone for the favorites, Alerts, and Reviews! There are now over 300 people with this fic on alert.. thats absolutely crazy! Thank you all!**

**Thanks to my beta GE0309! You amazing and I dont know what I would do without you!**

**Disclaimer: Skylar is the only thing in this fic that is my own **

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 16<strong>_

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

It has been a little over a month since our first date. After that date, Santana decided to show me up and take me to see Rent at a theater in Columbus, since that was the first musical we watched together. Our relationship has been absolutely perfect. Sure we've had a small spat here and there, but it never lasts long and we always make up before the night is through.

Sky has grown even closer to Santana, and Santana has grown even more attached and infatuated with my little girl. At this point I'm a little afraid that my daughter's first word is going to be Tana rather than Mama. I still have a few months to fix that though.

Shelby and I have gone out a few times, while Antonio or Barb watched Skylar. It is still a little awkward between us, but it's getting better. Santana has been coming with me to every meeting, and Noah actually tagged along once because we were going to meet Beth for the first time. She's beautiful, not that I expected anything else.

I had told her before even agreeing to give her a chance that we were going to move slowly. I explained to her right away that I still didn't see her as my mom but I'm willing to give her a shot. I still call her Shelby.

That is why I thought it was strange when I got called out of the beginning my seventh period class to meet Shelby in the main office. Sure we've had meetings to talk about the Trouble Tones before, but I explained to her a while ago that I don't appreciate being called out of class for that reason, even if I am at least a week ahead in most of my classes. I have a free period and a lunch period that I am more than willing to give up in order to help. Also I'm not really sure why I'm being called to the main office rather than to her office.

I walk down the hallway hurriedly in order to get back to class as quickly as possible. When I spot the familiar stroller sitting in the office though I immediately stop. What the hell was going on?

After processing what was going on I sprint the remaining few feet to the office and burst into the room. Barb looks over at me apologetically, while Shelby stands up from where she was kneeling in front of the stroller playing with the baby, who doesn't look to happy about having a stranger in her face.

"I'm so, so sorry about this Rachel. My sister is in the hospital though and I need to go. I tried calling, but your phone went straight to voicemail and Santana's just kept ringing. I even tried calling Mr. Lopez, but a nurse picked up his phone and told me he was in surgery. I didn't know what else to do." Barb pleads with me to understand.

"It's fine Barb, you did your best, my phone died last period and I guess San doesn't have hers on her." I say a little annoyed, she had promised when my phone died that she would watch hers in case something happened. She obviously didn't take that promise too seriously.

"What are you doing here?" I ask Shelby, who is sitting off to the side watching our interaction closely.

"I happened to be walking by when I heard her begging the secretary to get you. Because she isn't family though they said that they couldn't. I stepped in and told them to get you down here because it seemed important." She explained looking from me to Skylar warily. "Why don't you come down to my office so we can talk." She tells me in a no-nonsense tone. I am tempted to say no, but I can't very well go back to class with my seven month old.

"Rachel I really have to go. I am so sorry to do this, but I think I'm going to need the rest of the week off at least."

"That's fine Barb, don't worry about it and sorry that you had such a hard time getting ahold of me." I tell her with a soft smile and a quick hug.

I look to Shelby with a despondent look and follow her to the far corner of the school where her office is located, stroller intact. I continue to look around to make sure that nobody sees me with the stroller, so much so that finally Shelby offers to push it for me saying that people will just assume it's Beth. I deny her request even though I really do appreciate it.

When we arrive at her office I push the stroller up next to my normal seat and go about unbuckling Skylar from her stroller. The baby keeps going back and forth between beaming up at me and looking at Shelby with hesitance. Once she's in my arms though she seems to completely forget about the other woman in the room. She instantly clings onto me and starts babbling. Even though I absolutely hate the position we are currently in, I can't help but smile at the baby. This situation actually proves that she has learned to trust people so much easier than when we first moved here. The fact that she isn't just crying because Shelby is just staring at her, proves that she is more comfortable with her surroundings than she ever has been with a new atmosphere before. I really have Santana, Tony and Barb to thank for that.

Skylar stops her babbling when Shelby talks for the first time since entering the office. "What's going on?" Shelby asks simply.

"The babysitter's sister is in the hospital. I thought that was clear." I decide to go with coy in this situation; maybe she'll let it go. I doubt it.

"Cut the crap, Rachel." She says, but it's surprisingly not in a hard tone.

I guess there's no turning back now.

"This is Skylar. My sister." Ok so maybe there is a hope of turning back. That lie just slipped out so easily.

"Oh really?" She asks disbelievingly. "Because I'm not sure who your two gay fathers would have gotten to be their surrogate this time. Plus there's the fact that the babysitter didn't even mention them in her list of reasons why she was dropping the baby off here. Then there's also the fact that the little cutie in your arms looks like a spitting imagine of you, which would probably be difficult for your fathers to pull off since you look more like me than you do your father." Yep, I knew there was a flaw in my lie, or I guess a few flaws. I don't think she missed any of them.

"Rae!" Santana yells bursting into the office. Skylar's arms instantly shoot up for the Latina. I roll my eyes and pass her over to her favorite person (other than me, although sometimes I'm not so sure). "I'm so sorry. I left my phone in my sixth period class by accident and by the time I realized I already had two missed calls and three texts from Barb. I went to the office and they told me you were here." She explains. I know that she feels bad, but her forgetfulness just cost a major price, so I think I have a right to be a little pissed off.

"We'll talk about it later." I tell her.

"Ok well why don't we bail on the rest of the day." She offers.

"Oh no. I don't think so. First of all you're not getting out of here without an explanation, and second of all there's practice after school. Neither of you are going anywhere." Shelby explains.

"I can't very well go to practice with a seven month old child if I plan on keeping her a secret Shelby!" I yell at her.

"Sectionals are in a week Rach, and you're the lead; you need to be at practice." Shelby says in a softer voice. I know that she is right about needing to be there, but…

"My daughter comes first to anything." I tell her. She looks like she has been slapped in the face. Sure she knew that Sky being my daughter was the only thing to make sense, but actually hearing me saying it seemed to stun her into silence. Plus, it may have sounded like gibe at her, it wasn't supposed to but it still did.

After a moment she recovers, "You're not putting practice second to your daughter Rachel, you're putting it second to your secret. She is more than welcome to come to practice. I do not mind watching her while you're on stage, and I'm sure that no one else will either." I didn't actually think about it that way. She was technically right, if I skipped out on practice it wouldn't be to properly care for Skylar, it would be to properly hide her.

I look over to Skylar who is still looking around the room curiously. She isn't used to being in new places. That's my fault. I keep her hidden away so much, that she has become somewhat like a dirty little secret. I never want her to feel that way. She is perfect, and I don't want her ever to feel any less than that. I look up to meet Santana's eyes and ask her what she thought.

Before giving me her opinion though she addressed Shelby, "Can you cancel practice for the Cheerios? They aren't really needed today, we can work on vocals alone today and then you can make it up with the Cheerios tomorrow, I'll even help out if you need it." Shelby doesn't even hesitate before nodding her head in the affirmative. Santana returns her nod and then looks to me. "Rae, our friends have proven how much they care about you. None of them have really asked any questions even though you know that they want to. It's been well over a month, I think they have proven their loyalty." She says softly to me. I know she's right.

"Fine, if it's just the six of us, I'll go." I say still very nervous about everyone finding out my biggest secret. "She may not feel comfortable being with anyone other than me and Santana though, she doesn't trust easily." I explain.

"We'll figure it out and make it work." Shelby says and then looks hesitantly to the baby in Santana's arms. "What happened Rachel? You were planning on going to Broadway, how did you end up with a baby?" She asks gently. "And where the hell are your dads?" She adds with a little venom in her voice.

I look up to Santana to see what she thinks I should do. I don't know if telling Shelby the whole story is a good idea. Santana walks over to me and holds out her hand for me to take. When I grab it she stands me up hands me the baby and then takes my seat. Once she is comfortably sitting in my vacated seat, she pulls me down on her lap for comfort. I take a deep breath; this wasn't going to be easy.

"This is Skylar. You've heard about my disappearance act last year around this time, and now you know why. I went to a party and someone spiked my drink. My soda." I clarify so she doesn't think that I am making excuses.

"I'm not judging you Rachel. You could tell me that you decided to sleep with every guy in this school and I still wouldn't judge you. But someone spiking your drink is definitely not your fault." She sympathizes.

"I turned into a statistic. And found out I was pregnant."

"You're not a statistic, and neither is she, Rae. You're both perfect," Santana stresses from behind me. I lean more into her chest as thanks.

"When I told my dads about the pregnancy they kicked me out and I was forced to move to Pittsburgh, but when my dad found out what happened that led to the pregnancy he decided to take pity on me and let me move back into the house. They moved to California." I say with tears in my eyes. Even though it was a very abridged version of the past, it still hurt to talk about. Santana's arms tightened around me as she leans her chin on my shoulder and started whispering soothing words in my ear.

"I'm sorry that happened to you Rach. I wish I would have been there to help you-"

"No!" Santana snaps from behind me, startling all of the other occupants in the room. "She just told you something that is extremely difficult for her to talk about, you do not get make it about you! This is about her, not you." I don't even know where that came from but I wrap my hand around the wrist that is around my stomach to calm her.

"I'm sorry. She's right Rachel this is about you. Is there anything that I can do to help? You obviously have help from Santana and your nanny, but if there's anything else you need, I'm here." She tells me.

"Speaking of which," I start and turn in Santana's arms to look at her "Barb won't be able to work for the rest of this week at the least. I don't know what I'm going to do about a babysitter."

"My dad has off on Wednesday, and maybe we could take off of school intermittently for the week." She offers.

Shelby tries to talk, but I just ignore her and cut her off, "I can't let you do that Santì, 3 days off won't be so bad, I'm already caught up on my work-"

"Babe you can't take off three days in one week, plus if you don't go to school you can't go to glee practice on Thursday, we already decided that that's not acceptable." She counters.

"Guys!" Shelby finally yells in order to catch our attention. Santana, Skylar, and I snap our heads towards the oldest brunette.

"My mom watches Beth while I'm at work, I'm sure she wouldn't mind watching Skylar also. I'm positive that Beth would love to have a play buddy while she is over there." Shelby offers.

"I couldn't impose on your mother like that." I tell her.

"My mom has been dying to meet you Rachel, and she will probably be dying to meet Skylar when she finds out about her. She really won't mind." Shelby explains.

I look back at Santana for advice, even though this seems like our only option if we both want to be able to go to school this week. Santana speaks up with another obstacle that may poke a hole in the plan "Sky has trust issues, she doesn't always feel comfortable with strangers. Especially if she is just meeting the woman as Rachel is about to leave her." The little bit of hope leaves me when I recognize the truth in her statement.

"It's fine, I'll just take the absences."

"Rachel if you keep missing school like you have been, you're going to have to retake the year. It's only the first quarter and you've already missed quite a few." Shelby speaks up. She's right, if I keep missing like this and then something happens later on in the year, I won't have any misses left. "Why don't we see how she feels about her tonight. You can come with me to pick up Beth and we can eat dinner over there. I know that this seems like a lot, but I just don't see any other options. If you don't feel comfortable with that then I can try and call out for the rest of the week and babysit instead." I know she's just trying to help, but this is a lot to take in. It feels like were going from 30 to 60 quite fast.

"I know it's a lot Rach, but I really don't want to see you fail out because of this. I don't see many other options." Shelby says, and she is right.

"Alright we'll see how she reacts with your mom." I concede.

"Great, let me go call her and then we can all hang in here until practice." She says before excusing herself from the room.

"Will you come to dinner?" I ask Santana as soon as Shelby is out of the room.

"Of course, I already was planning on texting Papi and letting him know. Do you want me to ask him about Wednesday still?"

"I don't know, lets see how dinner goes and then go from there. Do you think that this is all too fast?" I ask leaning into her more. I smile when Sky grabs my hands and tries to stand up on my legs. I help her to stand and hold her arms tightly so that she doesn't fall.

"I don't know, and it really only matters if you think it is." She says reaching forward to tickle the little girls stomach, causing her to giggle and bend her legs a little. She almost lost momentum and had to sit down, but I held her a little tighter and she caught herself.

"I don't know either really. I mean we've been going pretty strong for about a month now, but now all of a sudden I'm meeting her parents and it's just a lot."

"I get that. But she is also only doing it to help out, she's not trying to pull you into her family." She reasons, I find it amazing that Santana can keep an objective eye even though I know she is still very standoffish about Shelby's re-arrival.

"Yeah I guess you're right. Like always." I say with a smile and sweetly kiss her on the lips.

Just then the door swings open again, and I'm assuming that were about to see Shelby again. I am caught off guard when Sue walks into the room.

**Santana's POV**

"I hear that Little Streisand's, littlest Streisand is here!" She says with an air of excitement that is mixed with a weird sense of nonchalance. It is very disconcerting.

"What?" Rachel squeaks out. I know that it's bad that I'm not as surprised as Rachel that Sue seems to know about Skylar, but really the cheerleading coach has this entire place bugged, so it makes sense that she knows. Also, she's taken a strange interest in Rae, so she must have been checking up on her and found out some how.

"Well that can't be good for your voice box there Berry, you should watch that." I can't help but snicker at the comment and I quickly earn a slap to the arm because of it. I expect Skylar to start crying like she always does when either of us playfully slaps the other, but it doesn't come this time. Apparently the baby didn't find it funny either.

"Coach Sylvester, I'm confused." Rachel states.

"Oh come on Midget, you should have known that I wasn't going to support you without having all of the information."

"Support me?" I have a feeling that this is going to take a turn for the worse for me.

"Yes, watch your back. I have always kept an eye on you, but after you came back from your disappearance act I kept an extra close eye on you. I found out almost immediately that you had a baby." I cringe at the way that sounded.

"YOU TOLD HER!" Rachel screeches as she jumps off of my lap still holding Sky. Sky for her part looks confused about the outburst and keeps looking from me to her mother with furrowed brows.

"No! I didn't! I swear Rae. I didn't. She called me into her office when she found out that I was becoming friends with you and simply asked if you were ok. I didn't say anything to her about what I knew! I told her that I thought that you were going to be ok and that if she had a plan to hurt you that I'd quit the Cheerios before being a part of it! I never went behind your back and told her anything! Rae you have to believe me!" I plead with her.

"She's telling the truth Rachel. S kept her poker face on. I didn't even realize that she knew until I heard you two talking about it here. I have almost every room in this building bugged, so I can know everything that happens within my empire." She says as if that completely makes sense.

Rachel seems to calm down at this. "Is that even legal?" She asks flabbergasted.

"Probably not, but no one can prove it was me." Sue says

"Aren't all of the TVs or speakers hooked up in your office?" Rachel asks and Sue seems to pause to consider this.

"Purely circumstantial." Coach finally says.

"No, I'm pretty sure that's cold hard evidence." Rae fires back without missing a beat. I'm wondering what she's playing at here.

"I'm trying to help you here Little Streisand, why are you provoking me?" Sue asks.

"Oh believe me I'm not, and I am very grateful for your help. I am just letting you know that if anyone finds out about that, you may want to hide the evidence somewhere. Just in case, it would probably be good to have a plan set, for example Mr. Shue's room would be a good place to hide the evidence. You could perhaps even use it to frame him." Rachel says nonchalantly. Seriously since when did my girlfriend become an evil mastermind? It sends a jolt down my spine, but it lands somewhere a little more unexpected.

"Wow, impressive Berry, didn't think you had it in you." Sue muses.

"Oh I've always had it in me, I just try to hide it, and not use it on people who don't deserve it." She says clearly proud of herself for impressing Sue.

"And what may I ask did Sunshine do to deserve a trip to the crack house?" Shelby asks from the doorway with an amused smile on her face. I look at her curiously not really sure how she knew about that, luckily she answered my unasked question. "I checked in with Vocal Adrenaline a few times last year." I just nod my acceptance of her answer, actually curious to find out Rachel's answer.

"Sunshine had the poor misfortune to come into my life at the same time that the pregnancy hormones did. I have never felt so ashamed with myself." She says looking down and I rub her back cautiously, not sure if she was still mad at me. I let out a sigh of relief when my hand hits her back with no consequence.

Skylar lets out a little whine, making her presence known again, as she looks around the room. I think that she is just upset with all the new people in the room at first but then quickly understand what she's really trying to tell us when she starts pawing at Rachel's boobs. Clearly the little girl is hungry. I try to hold back my laugh unsuccessfully.

Rachel turns bright red when Skylar starts to get more overeager. I can't help but laugh anymore, and Shelby joins in. Sue actually seems to be doing something helpful as she goes through the diaper bag hanging off the stroller. She pulls out a container of mashed carrots, a spoon and a bib. She walks the few steps over to where the mother and child were standing and places the bib on the child.

"No need to be embarrassed LS, it's completely natural to breastfeed. I would prefer you not do it here though." She says while handing Rachel the baby food.

"Thanks Coach Sylvester." Rachel says sheepishly while sitting in the chair next to mine. "Hold or feed?" She asks. I roll my eyes because that was a stupid question. I reach out for Skylar expecting her to reach out for me. Instead she turns towards her mother and burrows into her chest. Hurt feelings instantly well within me. That is the first time she has refused me in over a month.

"Apparently it's not just the chair she hates." Rachel supplies, but I know that she is only trying to make me feel better. Truth be told, the infant has been much better about the chair recently. It's clearly just me that she doesn't want for some reason.

"It's fine, I'll feed her while you hold her." I tell her trying to hold back tears.

"Santì she's tired and hungry, it's normal for her to want me." Rachel says softly.

"At Skylar's age, Beth never let anyone besides me hold her for feedings when she was tired." Shelby offers but it doesn't really help me feel any less hurt.

"It's really fine, just give me the damn food." I snap.

"S. Outside now!" Coach demands. Fuck. I messed up.

I quickly get up out of the chair and walk out of the room followed by Sue.

"First of all, it's not Rachel's fault that the baby doesn't want you, so don't take it out on her." I start to interrupt but she puts her hand up to stop me. I instantly close my mouth.

"I know that you have a good relationship with the littlest Berry, but Rachel is still her mother S. When she is tired or hungry, Skylar is going to want Rachel. It's the facts of life. If and when she starts seeing you as a second mother, which I honestly don't see being too far off, than she'll ask you to fill that role also, but until then suck it up and don't be a bitch about it. You don't talk to your girlfriend like that S. Do you hear me?"

"Yeah coach, I understand." I tell her and look down at my feet. She just nods and we walk back into the room. I see Shelby has taken my seat and is feeding the baby who is still sitting in Rachel's arms. I mumble a sorry to Rachel when she looks up to me. She just smiles and continues to watch Shelby feed Skylar.

When Shelby looks up to me she asks if I want to take over and I just shake my head. I feel like a complete jackass now. I freaked out on Rachel because my feelings were hurt for an irrational reason. I am about to tell everyone in the room that I was just going to go back to class and see everyone, well not Sue, at Trouble Tones practice, when Shelby places the empty food container on her desk. Once Skylar is full and clearly ready for her nap, if her droopy eyelids were anything to go by, she looks over to where I'm standing and raises her arms for me. I look at her confused for a few seconds; I'm not sure why she wants me now when she didn't want me before.

"Babe, it looks like she wants her snuggle buddy to hold while she falls asleep." Rachel says with a giggle and holds the baby up for me to take. I realize now what had happened. Sky hates the highchair because she prefers to be breastfed by Rachel. She likes being close to her mom while she feeds. It had absolutely nothing to do with me, yet for some reason I tried to make it about me. I feel terrible, and the fact that I had just yelled at Shelby for the same thing only makes it worse.

Skylar lets out a loud whine when I don't grab her fast enough and sticks her right thumb in her mouth while continuing to reach for me with her left hand. She continues to whine around her thumb until I pick her up. The moment she is in my arms she snuggles into me and almost immediately falls asleep.

"You're great with her. She really seems to love you." Shelby muses.

I just nod my head and look down at the cutie in my arms. How could I doubt Skylar's affection for me, she shows me how much she trusts me all the time. Rachel always jokes that she acts like she likes me more than her sometimes.

I think it may have to do with the fact that I'm no longer going to be the only person that Rachel can turn to. I never imagined it would be so hard to share the two of them before.

As if Rachel knows what I'm thinking, she gets up and moves over to stand beside me, wrapping her arms around me just under where I'm holding the baby. She then leans in and kisses right next to my ear as she whispers, "She loves you Santì. She loves you and so do I." Those words had been scarce coming from Rachel's mouth recently. She says it every once in a while, but she always seems like she is saying the words cautiously, as if I would take them the wrong way. This time was the closest she has gotten to saying the L word with the meaning that I desperately want it to have.

Tears instantly spring to my eyes and I nod my head to let her know that I heard her. I quickly turn into her and burry my head in her neck, being careful not to squash the baby.

"Why don't we take Skylar while she's still napping and well go down to Sue's office and you guys can stay here and talk. You can just meet us there when you're finished." I hear Shelby offer from behind me.

"Thanks Shelby, we'd appreciate that." Rachel says as she pulls away from me, but not before placing a kiss to my forehead. She then grabs the sleeping infant from my arms and hands her off to Shelby. "If she wakes up or you need anything, please text Santana." She stresses. I can tell from her voice she really doesn't like this idea but she wants to straighten out what I'm feeling.

"Rae, I'm fine, you don't have to leave her with them. I'm ok now." I say wiping my tears.

"S, don't push your feelings aside, it will only get worse. Talk to Berry and then the three of you can relax and spend time together before you have glee practice." Seriously, where is this Sue on a normal basis?

Once they leave, Rachel spends a few seconds watching the door nervously before she turns back to me. "Babe, what's going on? Everything was going perfectly, what changed?"

"I don't know." I mumble out as tears fill my eyes again. Damn it! Santana Fucking Lopez does not cry this much!

"Santì, I think you know what's going on, please just talk to me." She stresses.

"It's stupid." I start and she just shakes her head and steps up to me. She wraps her arms around me and tells me it's not. I instantly feel calmer in her arms. "I'm just afraid of what will happen now that you and Skylar are going to have more people to lean on. I'm afraid that you won't need me around as much anymore." I mumble as I bury my face in her neck again and wrap my arms around her to bring her impossibly closer to me. I allow the tears to come freely now.

Her arms tighten around me and she kisses the crown of my head. "No matter what, it's always going to be the three of us plus whoever else is around. It's never going to be us plus you plus other are a part of us now Santì. No one could ever replace you."

I let out a sob and my tears turn into happy tears. I marvel at the fact that Rachel always seems to know what to say to me to make me feel better, she always knows the right thing to say.

After my tears stop, we make our away over to Sue's office. We spend the rest of the school day in there. Skylar warms up to Sue quickly oddly enough. By the end of eighth period, the baby is basically laughing at everything the coach says or does. She takes a little more time to warm up to Shelby, probably because there is still noticeable tension between her and the baby's mom. However by the end of the day, the baby does allows the oldest brunette to hold her.

We all decide to wait for the hallways to almost completely clear out before Rachel, Shelby, Skylar and I make our way over to the auditorium for glee practice.

When we walk in, the other four members of the club look back at us.

"Who the heck is that?" Tina asks referring to the baby in Rachel's arms.

"Is that Beth?" Mike asks. Standing up and making his way over to us to examine the baby, Tina hot on his trail.

"I've met Beth, and that is most certainly not Beth." Puck adds as he follows behind Chang Squared, he has an unreadable expression on his face. Brittany follows closely behind him, strangely quiet.

Rachel looks over to me and reaches for my hand for support. "Guys, this is Skylar, my daughter."

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><p><strong>So now Shelby and Sue know! well now we know that Sue knows lol.. And the TT find out next chapter :) What do you all think?<strong>

**Please review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you all for the support for the last chapter! It is nuts how supportive you guys are! I honestly cant believe it!**

**A huge thank you to my beta GE0309! You are such a great help! I don't know what I'd do without her!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own glee unfortunately **

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><p><strong><em><span>Chapter 17<span>_**

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

"What?" All four of them scream in sync, startling Skylar. The little girl starts to cry and buries her head into her mother's neck. I shoot them all a withering glare and then bring my hand up to rub Skylar's back comfortingly. At my touch, Skylar raises her head out of Rae's neck and reaches for me. Once in my arms, the baby's tears turn to whimpers.

"She's my daughter. It's a long story, and I will explain it to all of you later, but I think we should get to work now. Sectionals are really soon. Plus I don't want to keep her here for longer than necessary."

Apparently none of them were listening to Rachel because as soon as she finished talking, they all start asking questions. They were basically all yelling over each other. Skylar looks around at the four screaming teens and decides that she wants to join into the chaos. She starts screeching, only adding fuel to the fire because the rest of them try to talk over that as well.

"ENOUGH!" Shelby yells. Everyone instantly quiets, except for Skylar who lets out one last squeal and smiles at Shelby. Shelby smiles back at the baby and runs her fingers through her hair. "We are not having a yelling match, and we need to get to practice, so here is how this is going to work: You all get two questions each, you will ask said questions one at a time. If two people speak at the same time, they are not allowed to open their mouths for anything other than singing for the rest of practice. If Rachel does not want to answer the question she does not have to and it still counts as one of your two questions. Use them wisely." Wow that is actually kind of brilliant. Rachel seems to think so too, because she is looking at her mother with an appreciative smile.

Woah! When did I start referring to Shelby as Rachel's mother?

Our four friends look at each other trying to decide who should go first. Brittany places a pout on the table and immediately wins.

"How old is she?" She asks excitedly. Not exactly what I was anticipating the first question to be, but I shouldn't really have expected anything else from Brittany.

"She just turned seven months at the end of last week." Rachel answers, sending Brittany a fond and grateful smile.

"Did you leave last year because you didn't want us to find out about her?" Mike speaks up next.

"That was partly to do with it, yes. I saw what happens to pregnant teens at this school, anywhere had to be better than that."

"What is the other part?" Tina asks quickly so to not get spoken over.

Rachel stiffens. I throw my arm around her to calm her down. "I will explain that to you, but not right now. I don't want to get into that again before practice starts." She explains. Sky must sense her mothers discomfort because she tries to climb out of my arms and into hers. When Rachel, who is trying to reign in her emotions, doesn't immediately take her, Sky starts whimpering and tears form in her eyes. I'm thinking that that was the first time that Rachel blatantly ignored Skylar's request to be held. Usually the young mother immediately jumps to attention. It's clear that Skylar doesn't know how to handle it.

"Rae, she wants you." I tell her, and she turns and grabs the baby. They cling to each other the way they did when I first found out about Skylar. It breaks my heart to see them reverting back slightly.

"Whose the father?" Mike speaks up into the silence. Rachel shifts uncomfortably and then places a kiss to Skylar's head to help her calm down; although I think it was more to help Rachel calm down. After the kiss, she just leaves her head on top of the baby's, like she is trying hide behind the infant.

"I'd actually like to know that one too." Shelby adds. I'm not sure how Rachel feels about the rest of the group finding out about Jesse, but I can tell that she does not want Shelby to know. Shelby proved in the past that Jesse is her golden boy. If Shelby were to defend him over Rachel, she would be heartbroken.

"I'm not ready to say." She says into Skylar's hair.

"Why wouldn't you tell me? I would have been there for you!" What is Puck talking about?

Rachel's head shoots up too look at the Jewish boy. "I didn't know."

"Bullshit! You knew, that's why you left! Why wouldn't you tell me? You didn't have to leave!" What is going on? Why is he acting like this?

"When we talked that day I didn't know Noah! It was too soon to tell anything!" She pleads with the boy to understand. I am starting to figure out what was going on.

"I'm not talking about the night you came to my house in tears Rachel. Obviously you wouldn't have been able to tell that day, but we talked after that. We talked almost everyday!"

"I know Noah, but I was scared. At first I thought that it was all just a mistake. Tests can be wrong. Then I was in shock. After that I was gone."

"Rae, you were over my house the night before Sectionals last year. We talked. I thought what I said was the reason you left! I blamed myself for you leaving! I thought that I pushed you too hard and you couldn't take it. Why wouldn't you at least call and tell me what was going on? I freaked out Rachel! I went to your house to talk to you again and you fathers said you were gone!" He yells, the tears in his eyes are threatening to fall but still he stands stoically in front of us ignoring them.

"Why are you just bringing this up now then Noah? I've been back for two months!" She yells at the boy.

"Because I can never get you alone! And when I do either Santana shows up out of nowhere or you run away!" He yells back.

"Ok that's enough, now's not the time to talk about this. You guys can talk later, after everyone has calmed down. In the mean time lets practice." Shelby says. I know that she is just trying to change the subject. I move over to Rachel and wrap my arms around her and the baby; she instantly leans into my embrace.

"But I didn't get my second question." B says with a pout.

"No one did Brittany, you all got one question, but Rachel is starting to get upset so I think it's best we move on for now."

"But my second question was so good." Brittany whines and her pout become even more pronounced. I watch Shelby's resistance fold. It's like one of those flip books you made when you were little, every second Shelby's expression got less and less tough. Finally she looked to Rachel. When Rachel gives a small, amused smile and nods to Shelby, the director tells Brittany she can ask her question.

"Does Skylar like ducks?" Britt asks succinctly with a deadly serious expression on her face.

With that all of the tension in the room breaks. Everyone smiles at the tall blonde, and Rachel just nods, causing the dancer to beam with joy. Causing everyone in the room to laugh.

As I laugh along with everyone, I sweep my eyes across the group. I realize, not for the first time, how awesome our little group is. We truly ban together for everything. Everyone with the exception of Puck, who I will be talking with later, seems comfortable with the confession even though it's clear they all still have questions.

As I finish looking at my friends, I see movement out of the corner of my eye. I look up towards the balcony on the right of the auditorium, and see Quinn standing up there looking down at us. A look of pure shock on her face. Shit.

I try to think of a way to somehow go up there and talk to her alone without Rachel having to find out that she was there. The last thing that we need right now is for Rachel to have another panic attack. She has been doing pretty well in the last month, I don't want to ruin it now.

I realize there is no way around her finding out when Shelby reaches for Skylar so she can start practice. I can't allow Quinn to know our set list, and it's probably best that Rachel knows what's going on anyway.

"Uh guys. We have a visitor." I say and point up to Quinn. Shelby turns and her eyes turn cold while Rachel's laughter stops as she stiffens in my arms. I can feel her breath instantly start to quicken. Better quicken then stop right?

"What are you doing here? Did Mr. Shue send you to spy?" Shelby asks the intruder in a hard voice.

"No. I saw you guys heading towards your office with a stroller. I had assumed it was Beth. I just wanted to see her. I figured you would bring her to practice so I decided to come and just get a peek then leave before you started to actually practice. I swear I wasn't trying to cause problems." She says in a low voice, only just loud enough to carry across the auditorium and down to us.

"Get down here Quinn." I growl up at her. She disappears from the balcony.

"Rae, it's going to be fine. I will make sure that she doesn't say anything. You need to calm down though. You're worrying Sky, Rae." It was true to, Skylar was looking at her mother with scared and worried eyes. The realization helped to calm Rachel down pretty quickly. Once her breathing is regular again, she places a kiss to the infant's head to let her know everything is ok.

Quinn's entrance though the main door causes Rachel to tense up again. "Wow Manhands, you really wanted to be me didn't you? Didn't think you would take it this far though." Quinn sneers. She really is stupid isn't she? I instantly go onto the defensive, but Rachel beats me to it.

"Wow Quinn, you really haven't learned anything have you?" She spits back at the blonde. The ex-Cheerio seems taken aback by the response and doesn't answer. Her face softens and she looks like she might actually cry. Again I feel like I'm missing something. I look from one girl to another as they have a stare off. I can't help but feel jealousy rise within me. What would Quinn have learned from my girlfriend?

"What's going on?" I finally ask when I can't take anymore this, whatever this is.

Rachel ignores me, which doesn't really help to stem my jealousy, "You going to tell the whole school about this?" Rachel asks with venom lacing her voice. What happened to the girl who was hyperventilating a minute ago?

Quinn seems to pause to consider this for a second. The blonde then straightens and looks Rachel straight in the eyes, "What will I get out of it?" Quinn asks. What does she even mean by that?

* * *

><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

"The satisfaction of knowing that you're not a complete bitch, and the possibility that people will stop seeing you as such." I fire back without hesitation. I can tell that Santana is confused as to what is going on here. I know that I should have talked to her about my conversation with Quinn last month, but I didn't know how to bring it up with her. Plus if I would have brought it up to her, there is no doubt in my mind that Santana would have flipped since Quinn wasn't exactly kind to me. I know I said that I wouldn't help Quinn, and I stand by that, but I wasn't going to work against her either. That friendship is their problem. If they all want to make it work, than that's their business.

"What's going on here?" Santana asks again, not speaking to anyone in particular.

"Quinn you can't be sneaking into these practices. Regardless of your reasons for doing so, you are still our competition. Sort of." Shelby tells Quinn.

"I wasn't planning on staying long enough to hear you sing, I know that wouldn't be right. I just wanted to see Beth." Quinn explains again.

"I understand that, but I already told you that I don't think that's a good idea at this time. I think you should leave, your presence here is only disturbing our practice and upsetting Rachel." Shelby tells the girl. It's nice to see that Shelby is willing to stand up for me. She has done a lot to prove herself to me.

But back on track, I can't believe that out of everyone who could have found out about Skylar, it just had to be Quinn. Her emotions and actions are so all over the place that it is impossible to predict how she is going to react. If she freaks out and tells everyone then I'm screwed, but at the same time her actions would definitely have a negative impact on her also. If she truly wants to get back into Santana and Brittany's good graces, keeping this secret is in her best interest. But on the other hand, she may gain some of her popularity back if she spreads my secret and humiliates me.

Regardless, I won't play her game. If she wants to tell everyone then I can't stop her. I refuse to let her blackmail me into helping her. It really just comes down to what she thinks is more important. Bringing me down and possibly becoming popular again, or getting her friends back and possibly getting the chance to meet her daughter.

"I won't say anything." She says after a while. "But I want to know what happened too." She bargains. I am pretty sure she is just using it as an excuse to get closer to the two Cheerios.

"You haven't earned the right to know anything about my life." I tell her straightforwardly.

"What do I have to do to earn that right?" She asks seriously. I have a feeling were only partly talking about Skylar at this point.

"I already told you Quinn, you have to get your head out of your ass." I tell her. Santana looks even more confused now.

"When did you tell her that? I didn't think you guys had talked since we left New Directions." Santana looks a little hurt by this revelation. Obviously hiding this from her was the wrong choice.

"I will explain everything to you later, I promise." I tell her as I turn to face her more fully. Her hurt look only intensifies as her arms fall from around my waist. I instantly feel colder.

"We should practice." She says quietly. Shit.

"Santì…"

"We can talk later, right now we need to practice." She says as she turns away from me and walks towards the stage. Skylar doesn't seem to like the fact that the Latina is walking away, because she is just watching her leave and whimpering slightly.

"Shh. Princess she's just over there, she's not going anywhere." I tell my daughter, though I am trying to convince myself also.

She wouldn't leave me for something like this would she? It's not like anything is happening between Quinn and I. After I tell her what happened, everything will be ok. Right?

"She's right. Lets get to work. Quinn you need to leave." Shelby says harshly. Quinn just looks at me and then towards Santana. Is she doing this on purpose? Is she trying to break us up?

"Shelby can you take Sky for a second, I need to finish my conversation with Quinn. Alone." I tell her. The older brunette just nods and reaches for the baby. Skylar goes to her with little reluctance.

I watch the infant closely for a second to make sure that she is going to be ok with Shelby, not wanting her to freak out while I am talking to Quinn. The little girl looks around the group of teens and then up to the woman holding her. After a second, I think she is about to cry but instead she reaches out towards Mike. I'm floored. She may not know Shelby well, but she has been with her longer than she's been with Mike. The fact that Sky trusted Mike that quickly, solidified the fact Skylar truly is getting better with new people. I fight tears as I realize that we all may actually be ok.

I look over to where Santana is standing on the stage and she is looking at the Asian boy and little girl with a look of astonishment and pride in her eyes. When I look back to Skylar she is laughing at a face that Mike is making. I feel confident that she will be ok while I'm gone, and if she's not Santana is only up on stage.

I turn around and grab Quinn's arm and start leading her to the hallway. I chance one more glance back toward the auditorium and can see the hurt and anger on Santana's face from back here. That is going to take some work to fix.

Once we are finally out of the auditorium I drop Quinn's arm after spinning her around to face me.

"What are you playing at? I don't understand what you want! I thought you wanted to get your life back on track Quinn, I just don't understand how ruining my life does that for you!"

"What are you talking about? I already said I wouldn't tell anyone!"

"And I appreciate that, but is there a reason you are trying to break Santana and I up? Do you honestly think that's the best way to get your friend back?" I ask exasperated.

"I don't know what you're talking about! I am not trying to break you up!"

"I saw what you were doing!"

"I wasn't doing anything! She's happy with you, why would I break you up? I want her to be happy Rachel, I want my best friend back, but I want her to be happy in the process. I didn't realize that you didn't tell her about our first meeting, and I'm sorry for being the reason she found out, but that wasn't my intention." Quinn explains, I don't know why but for some reason I believe her right now.

"What were your intentions Quinn?" I ask her.

"I want my friends back, I told you that."

"But how does getting information on Skylar help you accomplish that?" I ask her confused.

"Maybe I can help. If I help you then it will prove to Santana and Brittany that I am trying. Right?"

"You need to figure a way to do that while leaving my daughter out of it." I tell her in a tone that makes it clear that I will not allow my daughter to be used as a pawn in her attempt to get her friends back. Once I see that she took my threat seriously, I turn around and walk back into practice. It feels like that was the second time we've had that conversation.

"All good?" Shelby asks as she steps up beside me.

"Yeah sorry." I say looking at her and realize she still doesn't have Skylar in her arms. I look over to Mike who is also empty handed. Santana is the same. "Where's Sky?" I ask panicked.

Shelby just laughs lightly and points to Noah who is holding the baby above his head. As we approach them, I hear Noah making airplane noises and Skylar cracking up. It's obvious that the baby loves the attention she is getting from the new arrivals. It's like she's a completely different baby than she was two months ago, not that I'm complaining.

I finally step up next to Noah and look up to Skylar who was well above my head. She squeals as soon as I came into eyesight and smiles a huge smile at me.

"When she throws up on you, totally not my fault." I say evenly to Noah as I stare up at the baby. His head whips over to look at me as if asking if I were joking, when he sees that I'm not he lowers the baby down to his hip. Sky looks disappointed by the altitude loss and tries to kick off of the boy's side to get back up into the air.

Noah looks over to me again with a serious look on his face. "Rach we need to talk."

"I know. We will." I tell him just as seriously.

Skylar continues to kick off of his side to no avail and visibly starts to get upset about it. She lets out a loud wail and then begins to cry. Tears fill her eyes and I look at her in complete shock. She is totally faking those tears in order to get what she wants.

"Like mother, like daughter." Noah teases. "Seems like he inherited your ability to cry on command." He laughs before picking the baby up so she was in front of his face. "Did you get those crocodile tears from your mommy Skylar? I think you did." He says to her in a high-pitched voice.

"Oh how the badass has fallen." I laugh out as I grab my daughter from his arms. He instantly looks affronted by my accusation.

"Guys we seriously need to get started." Shelby calls from the stage. "Lets start with Tina and Noah's duet!" She demands. The two nod their heads and make their way to the stage.

I sit in a seat on the first row and put Skylar on the ground standing up, grabbing her arms so that she doesn't fall. She is not even close to walking, or even standing on her own, luckily, but she still likes to be able to stretch out her legs and can put weight on them with help. She always looks so proud of herself when given the opportunity.

Mike takes the seat to the right of me and lightly tickles the baby's stomach earning her attention. She lets out a squeal of delight, and turns slightly to look at the boy. He immediately picks her up and continues to tickle her stomach earning more squeals of joy.

"We're not going to be able to practice if you keep making her squawk," I joke, even though it was true, and he pouts but stops tickling the little girl. Instead he stands her up on his lap and holds her steady.

I look up to the stage and see Shelby throwing me an appreciative smile. She obviously didn't want to complain about the noise since it was her idea to bring the baby to practice. I start to smile back at her, but am distracted by a head hitting my left shoulder.

Thinking it's Santana, I smile and move to kiss the top of the head. My smile disappears when I see blonde hair instead of raven. I look around for Santana and frown when I see her on the other side of Mike, arms folded and a frown on her face. She had willingly chosen to not sit next to me. A hurt expression takes home on my face as well.

I sit back and listen to Puck and Tina sing through their song. Shelby stops them a few times to fix problems here and there, but in general they sound really good. It amazes me that we pulled this together so easily. There was no fighting for solos, no fowl words tossed around, no mean nicknames. We all just had a discussion and voted on who we thought should bring us to victory. In the end we agreed that we should have two duets and a group number. All of the main members, the old New Direction members, play a large role in our performances. Along with Tina and Puck's duet, Santana and I have one, and the group number is mostly lead by Brittany and Mike. Tina and Mike had apparently been working on the boys singing all summer and it really showed now. Mike honestly had turned out to have a better voice than Finn, his range could definitely use work, but that's normal when a person is just beginning to sing.

About half an hour into Tina and Puck's practice, Skylar becomes visibly tired. I reached to take her from Mike, so she could fall asleep in my arms, but she pulls away from me and reaches for her Latina snuggle buddy. Santana looks at her outstretched hands reluctantly, before finally taking the baby from Mike.

I just stare at my girlfriend, completely astonished at the fact that she almost denied Skylar because she is upset with me. That is my biggest fear, and she knows that. If I do something to mess up my relationship with Santana, I can't have her taking it out on the little girl. Sky has come to be as dependent on Santana as she is on me, and I don't know what she would do if Santana all of a sudden stopped coming around. Obviously that is just another thing that had to be added to the list of things we have to talk about. It's amazing how quickly that list is growing.

After another fifteen minutes of Puck and Tina running though their song, Shelby calls Santana and I up to the stage. I get up and start to walk to the stage before realizing that Santana isn't following.

"I don't want to wake up Skylar." The cheerleader says simply, but her tone implies that waking up Skylar is not the only reason that she won't come sing with me.

"Are you serious right now?" I ask her incredulously. "You're going to let Quinn get between us?"

"It seems like Quinn has been between us this entire time, but I'm just finding out about it now."

"You have got to be kidding me. When may I ask would I have had time to sneak around with Quinn, Santana? We spend _all_ of our time together!" I cannot believe that she honestly thinks that I am cheating on her with Quinn.

"Yet somehow you managed to find time to have a secret conversation with her!"

"That was a month ago! I was going to tell you but I didn't know if I should! I am sorry for keeping it from you and I will explain everything to you later, but now is not the time!" I yell at her, completely annoyed that she is choosing now to air out our dirty laundry, that isn't even dirty.

Just then, the back doors of the auditorium fly open. With the lights shining from towards the stage, it's impossible to see who just walked in.

"FINN HUDSON! GET BACK HERE NOW!" Quinn screams. Well that answers that question.

"No Quinn, I need to deal with this!" Finn yells back as his lumbering body becomes a shadow through the light.

"Quinn! I already explained to you that this was a closed practice, yet you still found it necessary to stay and listen to our set list?" Shelby calls from the stage with anger lacing her voice.

Between the screaming from Santana and I and the screaming happening now, Skylar is woken from her brief nap. She starts wailing to show her displeasure at having such a short nap. Her head spins around to look for me and once she spots me her arms raise in request. I take her into my arms without even thinking about what Finn was going to think.

This practice was clearly not a great idea.

"I'm sorry Shelby, I wasn't listening in on your practice. Finn overheard my conversation with Rachel outside and has been trying to come in here since. I have been fighting with him to get him to stop." Quinn explains as she steps in front of him. "Lets go Finn, there is no need for you to be here!" the shorter blonde screams.

"There definitely is a reason for me to be here! I have a few things that I need to say to Rachel!" Oh god, what is going on now?

"I don't think you do need to talk to her! I think you need to think harder about what you are about to say, because I am almost positive you're wrong!" She screams back.

Skylar is starting to wig out even more now that the screaming is intensifying. I try to rock her and bounce her, but nothing seems to be working.

Every time Finn tries to step around Quinn, the girl just gets in his way again. Finally he gets fed up with it and just pushes her aside. Because of their size difference, the little shove sends Quinn flying into the row of seats next to her.

"Quinn!" Brittany screams as she runs up to the shorter blonde and helps her up, inspecting her abdomen for any bruising, even though it is too soon to tell if the small blonde would bruise.

The rest of us all gasp at Finn's actions as Shelby hops off the stage to stand in front of Skylar and me. Santana mirrors her motion. Mike and Puck take a step towards the tall idiot so that they are able to step in if need be.

"How could you do this to me Rachel!" The boy screams at me. I have no idea what he's talking about. I decide to just stay quiet and wait for him to continue, figuring that he would explain himself to me.

"I loved you! I would have been there for you! Instead you just take my kid and leave?" He yells taking another step towards me. Puck and Mike instantly stop his movement.

His kid?

"_His_ kid?" Santana screams as she turns to look at me. Skylar screams louder in my arms at seeing Santana so upset.

"Yes! My kid! How could you take her from me Rachel? I would have been a great father!" He screams. This is all just too much. Skylar just continues to scream and I can't concentrate on anything.

"Why wouldn't you even tell me that you were pregnant? I deserved to know!"

"You told me that she was Jesse's! You lied to me? Why? What good did lying do?" Santana screams at me as tears stream down her face.

"I'm sorry, she's _whose_ kid?" Shelby yells over the chaos.

How did this happen? How did things get so messed up? I'm not breathing. I feel Skylar being lifted out of my arms and can hear Shelby talking to me as if she were a mile away.

Santana walking away, towards the back of the auditorium, is the last thing I see before darkness takes me.

* * *

><p><strong>I know that there was a lot happening in this chapter lol, I didn't expect for all of that to happen lol.. but I usually let the story take itself where it wants to go...<strong>

**If anyone has any ideas of songs that would be good for Sectionals, let me know your ideas :)**

**As always, I would to get your feedback and such so please review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**The reaction to the last chapter astounded me! The chapter got over 40 reviews! absolutely amazing guys! I don't even know what to say! I love you all :)**

**Everyone was freaking about who Sky's dad is and this chapter tells you for sure :) **

**Thanks to my awesome beta GE0309! Your amazing!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee :/**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 18<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

When I woke up, I had my head perched in Shelby's lap and Skylar was screaming in Tina's arms. I tried to sit up, but Shelby pushed me back down onto my back.

"If you move to quickly you'll just pass out again. Just lay there for a second." She tells me in a strict voice.

"My daughter needs me, I can't just lay here." I tell her annoyed that she is stopping me.

"Tina, pass her here." Shelby says raising her arms to the little girl.

Skylar greedily reaches out for her, but the fact that she hasn't taken her eyes off me tells me that she is simply using Shelby as a way to get closer to me. Her cries still haven't stopped, I can see in her eyes that she is freaking out. She's terrified, and the only person that could calm her down besides me right now left.

Santana left.

She told me that she wouldn't do that again; she would stay and talk about it. She told me she would never walk away. She never explained to me what it would mean if she did.

"Sky, mommy's ok. See." Shelby tells my daughter. "She just needed a little nap, but she's fine now."

"Princess, I'm alright. Everything is going to be alright." I tell her.

"Let me take her. She probably just needs her daddy." Finn says alerting me that he is, in fact, still here. Seriously this guy is a moron.

"Do not come near _my _daughter Finn." I growl out while trying to sit up again. Luckily this time the older woman allows it. Once I'm up, I pull Skylar into my lap and attempt to stand. Between having the infant in my arms, who is clinging to me like she is afraid I'll disappear if she doesn't, and the fact that I am still fighting off a little bit of lightheadedness, I find it a little difficult to stand. Next thing I know, Quinn and Brittany are standing on either side of me and helping to boost me up.

"Are you ok? Did he hurt you when he pushed you?" I ask Quinn.

"No, I'm ok. How about you?"

"I'll be fine. I should be used to this by now, but usually Sky's not present and San is here to help though." I say looking down at the baby in my arms. I hear Finn struggling against Mike and Puck's hold, reminding me that I needed to deal with that mess before going after Santana.

"Skylar, I need you to let me put you down. I need to fix some things before I can go get Santì. Can you let someone else hold you?" I ask the little girl as if she will listen to reason.

"I thought you said she was seven months old Berry. There's no way she understood all of that." Quinn says with a laugh, but there is no venom in her voice. I can tell that she is truly only joking around with me.

I roll my eyes at the blonde and try to hand Skylar off to Brittany, but Brittany just steps back, shaking her head.

"I'll drop her. She's too tiny." Brittany explains. And continues to shake her head.

"Ok, if you don't feel comfortable holding her I understand." I tell her and bring the baby back to my chest. I turn to get Shelby to hold her, but the woman is on the phone yelling at someone.

"Cou-Could I hold her?" Quinn asks shyly. I turn to look at her and she already looks unsure with her decision. If it's because of Beth or because she's afraid I'll say no, I'm not sure.

"Are you sure?" I ask.

"If it's ok with you, then yeah." She answers. I nod my head and move to hand the baby to her.

She takes Skylar in her arms with so much care it looks like she is holding a newborn kitten. I smile at Skylar, who is looking up at the blonde pensively as if trying to decide if she is someone she can trust. Finally the baby sticks her thumb in her mouth and completely ignores the person holding her. That's a new one, usually she either screams to get out of the persons hold or she falls in love with them and wants all of their attention. Strange.

Now, back to Finn.

I walk over to the three boys and tap Mike and Noah on the shoulder, silently asking them to let go of him. They do as they are asked but stay on either side of me just in case. An action that I am immensely grateful for since Finn has a tendency to lash out when angry.

"Finn can you explain to me and everyone else when we had sex?" I ask him simply.

"Well…" He stalls as he tries to remember. "I don't know. I must have forgotten." Finn says.

"Seriously dude? You must have forgotten? If you had slept with Rachel, taken her virginity, and forgotten about it I would punch you in the face right now!" I blush at Noah's statement.

"Please Noah, I got this." I tell him and the Jewish boy backs down again.

"Ok so lets say that you _had _forgotten about us sleeping together. Do you honestly think I would be stupid enough not to use protection? Do you really think I would _ever_ want little Finn Hudsons running around?" I ask him rhetorically.

When I see that he is about to answer anyway, I continue, "In fact I think you should probably be sterilized to protect the human race." I say and then act as if I am thinking about something. "Although, with your little early arrival problem, it is probably statistically impossible for you to get anyone pregnant anyway. You wouldn't even be able to get it in before you popped." I say straight-faced.

"I don't have a problem!" Finn yells completely red faced. Everyone in the room, except Shelby, who just looks uncomfortable, starts cracking up because everyone in the school knows about Finn's 'problem'.

"Finn you thought you got Quinn pregnant because you blew your load in a fucking hot tub while _making out_." Puck laughs out then seems to process his own words and adds, "Sorry Quinn, no offense." Earning no response from the girl.

"So please Finn, explain to me how you have come to believe that Skylar is your daughter." I finish, wanting to get this conversation over with.

"We were dating at the time! You wouldn't have cheated on me. You loved me too much, and geeks don't cheat on the quarterback. It just doesn't happen, they are too grateful to even be getting the chance that they don't do anything to ruin it." He says matter-of-factly. I'm not sure if I should laugh at his logic, be pissed at his insult, or ask where he got his information. Before I have a chance to decide, a fist connects with Finn's eye. Finn stumbles back at the impact and hits the side of a row of seats, causing him to fall onto them.

I look over to Noah, to yell at him for punching the boy again, he really can't afford any more smudges on his record, only to find him gaping in shock. I furrow my eyebrows for a second confused as to what just happened, _someone _had to have hit Finn. It only takes another second for my jaw to go slack and for me to look over at Mike, who is still shaking out his fist.

"Ok, that's it. Get out Finn. I let this go on for too long. Rachel has proven that Sky is not yours. If you would like to continue to fight this point, you can do it in a court. Though I should tell you, that you will look like an absolute moron if you bring this to court." Shelby tells him while grabbing Mikes arm and pulling him back and into Tina's waiting arms. Once in reach, Tina grabs Mike's hand and inspects it for breaks.

"What's going on in here?" Mr. Shue yells from the back of the auditorium, announcing his presence.

"Oh great! I'm never leaving am I?" I ask Shelby.

"I'm sorry, I called him to come get his lead. I figured it would be easier that way. That was before Mike threw the punch though," she mumbles the last part.

"Why does it seem like every time he's around your members, Finn ends up with a black eye?" Shue says sarcastically.

"Because every time he comes around he does something stupid." Puck supplies.

"Well Mr. Puckerman, seeing as I'm assuming that he wasn't saying anything about sexual orientation this time, why don't we take a trip down to Figgins' office." The curly haired main says pompously, clearly proud of himself.

"Sure." Noah says with a smug look on his face. He is just playing with our old coach now.

"Great, lets go."

"Puck didn't punch me!" Finn speaks up for the first time, still holding his eye. "Mike did."

"Mike?" Mr. Shuester asks looking at Finn like he's crazy. "As in Mike Chang?"

"Yes, as in me. I'll do it again to if he continues to insult my friends." Mike speaks up.

"Fine, lets go Mike." The man says while helping Finn get up.

"I'm going to go with them to make sure everything turns out ok, are you going to be ok?" Shelby asks me.

"Yeah I'm good, go make sure everything is ok." I tell her. She responds with a nod and hurries after the three people.

"I'll call you later!" She yells back just before disappearing from view.

"Great. Just great." I say before turning around and grabbing Skylar from Quinn.

"You all right?" She asks.

"Quinn, you helped out with Finn and I really appreciate that, but you don't have to act like you care about any of this. You made your point ok." I tell her.

"I'm trying Rachel, I'm not acting." She tells me sincerely. I sigh, because it was rude of me to assume otherwise.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be ill-mannered. I'm just stressed." I try to excuse myself.

"I understand, there was enough said to warrant your stress." Quinn says.

"Rachie are you going to go after Sannie? She seemed really sad when she left. She had tears in her eyes." Brittany points out with a sad look on her face.

"Yeah I'm actually going to head over there now. I'll talk to you all later. And thank you all for the help." I say and start towards the door, but pause when I realize I don't have a car here.

"What's wrong?" Tina asks.

"Santana drove me to school today." I say as I try to figure out how the hell I'm going to get home with Skylar. Normally I would just walk, but it's raining and I can't risk Sky getting sick again.

"I would drive you but I need to wait for Mike." Tina says with an apologetic look.

"I can take you." Quinn offers. "It looked like your stroller had a car seat attached to it so we should be all set."

"You sure you don't mind?" I ask pensively. I honestly feel like Quinn is trying and I don't believe that she would try anything when there was a baby in the car, but I can't help but be cautious.

"Definitely," She says walking out of the auditorium.

"Do you want me to bring you to San's house or do you want me to drop you home?" She asks when we are in the car.

"Santana's please, even if we don't make up for some reason, Tony will bring me home." I explain, and she just smiles in return.

"I'm sure she'll understand once you explain that Finn is an idiot. Do you want me to watch Skylar for you?" She asks with a hopeful look on her face. I can tell that she really is missing Beth.

"No offense but Sky didn't look too comfortable with you before, she may flip if I leave her with you. If Antonio is home, I am just going to have him watch her." I explain.

"Ok, I understand." The blonde says with disappointment in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I just don't want to do anything to make her feel uncomfortable. As rough of a day it was for me, it was just as rough on her. She is probably exhausted by all of the stuff that happened today, she is probably about ready to pass out for the night as it is. This is really not a time that you want to be watching her." I joke.

"So there's a possibility that I'll have another chance?" She asks and the hopefulness comes back with a vengeance.

"Maybe. But Quinn it won't be for a while probably. A few good acts don't prove that you've changed." I tell her as kindly as I can.

"I know but I'm going to keep trying though. I want my friends back Rachel, and I guess you're not too bad yourself." She jokes lightly elbowing my arm. I roll my eyes at her but laugh lightly.

When we get to Santana's house, I hurry out of the car and grab Sky, only saying bye and thank you to Quinn as an afterthought. After knocking I wait about a minute for someone to answer. When Antonio answers the door, he looks confused and exhausted.

"Please tell me that you'll explain to me why my daughter is in her room sobbing, because she won't tell me anything." He tells me with concern in his voice.

"I can't yet. I need to talk to her first. Can you watch Skylar?" I plead.

He sighs but nods and grabs the stroller from me. I quickly take that as my cue to enter the house. I run up the stairs and don't even bothering knocking on Santana's door. I just stand in the doorway and take in the sight of my girlfriend laying face down on her bed, sobbing into a pillow. My heart breaks at the sight, and makes me want to cry myself.

Once inside, I sit on her bed beside her and put my hand on her back. She recognizes my touch immediately and rolls away from me and sits up looking away at the wall.

"What are you doing here?" She snaps.

"I needed to see you. I need to explain what the hell happened back there." I tell her.

"I think I got what happened Rachel!" She snaps again but before I can respond she continues, "And if you were so concerned, why the hell did it take you nearly an hour and a half to get here?"

"Well I needed to come too after passing out, then I needed to deal with Finn, then Shue, and then had to find a ride her since you stranded me there when you left." I explain.

"You passed out again?" Santana asks softer and looks back at me for the first time.

"That doesn't matter, what matters is that you understand that everything going through your head right now is wrong." I tell her.

"I don't think it is, everything was made pretty clear back there. I just don't understand why you would have lied about all of it. I would have stuck around even if you would have told me that Skylar was Finn's, why lie?"

"Santì I never lied. Finn is an idiot. His logic was that the nerds don't cheat on jocks so even though he can't remember us sleeping together he still must be Skylar's father. I can't even decide if that's better or worse than thinking that he got Quinn pregnant by getting off in a hot tub near Quinn." I tell her as calmly as possible. The more I talk about it the more annoyed I am that Santana seriously thought that I slept with Finn and then lied to her about it.

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I don't know what to believe right now. I don't know why Rachel would lie to me, but this seems stupid even for Finn.

"He seriously thought that Skylar was his baby even though you didn't have sex?" I ask disbelieving.

"Yes Santana! He's a fucking moron! He said that he 'must of forgotten' us sleeping together! Do you honestly think I would have given him my virginity?" She yells at me.

Wow I guess I really should have stuck around a little longer. I was just so upset and I didn't know what to do about it. I had promised her that I wouldn't walk away again, and I didn't plan on it. I stuck around when I was upset about the Quinn thing, which I still haven't gotten an explanation for, but the whole thing with Finn just pushed me over the edge.

Why didn't I look back before I left? I just walked away and because of it Rae had another panic attack, which led to her passing out again. If that's not bad enough, Skylar was around to see it happen, she was probably terrified, and she didn't have anyone she knew to look after her. What is wrong with me?

No. I'm not going to go all self-deprecating right now. Finn may have been a misunderstanding, but Quinn wasn't. They had a meeting and Rachel kept it from me. What could have possibly warranted her hiding something like that from me?

Rachel is just staring at me, waiting for me to react.

"I'm sorry for leaving like that. I should have assumed that Finn was being an idiot. But that doesn't explain what was going on with Quinn. There is obviously something happening between the two of you!" I accuse getting off the bed. I probably shouldn't keep accusing her, since it has proven time and time again to make me look like the jackass.

"I pulled Quinn aside last month after she told Shelby that we would need her help. I wanted to thank her and ask why she did it. When I grabbed her and pulled her into a classroom she said some bad stuff about me-" I let out a low growl at the knowledge that someone was stating shit with my girl. She stands up and faces me fully.

"-see that right there- that is the reason I didn't tell you! She wanted my help in becoming friends with you and Brittany again. I told her I wouldn't help, but I also wasn't going to be the reason why you decided not to. If I would have told you about the meeting, I wouldn't have felt comfortable only telling you parts of it, so I decided it would be best if I didn't tell you about it at all. It was nothing! I am used to her jibes and I just brushed them off, but you wouldn't have. You would have freaked and I knew that, so I let it drop."

She's right; I would have gone into school the next day and started a fight. No question about it. I do miss Q, Brittany and I really screwed up when she got pregnant and after that it was too late to go back. The damage was done and I assumed that Quinn would never be able to forgive us. When Quinn tried to get me pushed down the pyramid by telling Coach about my alleged boob job, it just pushed a bigger wedge between us.

Rachel was just trying to save the semblance of a chance that we have to regain that friendship and I assume that she is cheating. God, why am I so stupid?

"So…"

"Yeah Santana, so." She says with annoyance clear in her voice. "Did you honestly think that I cheated on you? That was the _day after_ we got together! Do you really think that little of me?"

"Of course not!"

"Except you must. Why else would you freak out like that? Are you honestly telling me that you didn't assume I cheated on you?" She asks as her voice gets louder and higher with each sentence.

"I didn't know what to think! My girlfriend was having a secret meeting with another girl! And then to make matters worse you wanted to have a secret conversation today! What was I supposed to think?" I try to defend myself, but even I can hear how weak my defense really is.

"You are supposed to trust me! If you can't then what the hell are we doing Santana?"

I feel like I was just slapped in the face. Is she really asking me that? Is she close to breaking up with me? What is going on?

She pulls out her cell phone and texts someone before continuing.

"I trust you with my life Santana, actually even more importantly, I trust you with Skylar's life. I hope that I didn't misplace that trust, because what you have shown me today is making me think that I might have." She says before looking down at her phone and reading the reply of whoever she had texted.

After reading it, she slips her phone in her back pocket and moves towards her purse, which is sitting in the doorway of my room.

"Where are you going?" I ask with tears slipping from my eyes again.

"I'm leaving. You need to think about this San. You need to decide what the hell you want from me, from us. Because right now, I honestly can't tell what you want. I let you into my life, into my _daughter's_ life, and now you're freaking out about shit that's not even there!"

"Rae, I love you! I'm sorry, I made a mistake!" I plead with her and grab onto her arm.

"Everyone makes mistakes Santana, I understand that, but I need to make sure you know what you're getting into before I let you any deeper into my life. If you can't trust me, then I think it's best that we didn't delve into this relationship any further." She says and there's a beep outside.

"Think about it San." She says and turns around and starts to walk out of my bedroom.

"Are you breaking up with me?" I call to her. I need to hear her say no, but I don't know what I'll do if she says yes.

"No. But I need you to seriously think about this." She says before fully walking out of my bedroom and downstairs.

I vaguely hear her say goodbye to my dad and him say goodbye to her and Skylar. I feel like everything is moving in slow motion. I can't even think straight right now.

"San what just happened?" My father asks from the doorway, I just look up to him and stare. "Why did an Asian couple come to pick up Rach and Sky? Why were you guys screaming?" He asks in rapid succession.

"I messed up daddy." I say and tears spring to my eyes. "I really messed up."

"What's going on San? Did you guys break up?"

"No, I don't think so. I got jealous Papi, so jealous. And because of it I assumed things that I shouldn't have. I thought she lied to me about Skylar's dad and then I thought she cheated on me with Quinn. Quinn! What is wrong with me? She is the first good thing that has happened to me since I became friends with B! Why would I ruin it?" I sob out.

"Mija, you need to calm down and breath. Just go over there and explain it to her. Tell her what was going through your head. She will understand." He explains while wrapping his arms around me.

"But what if she doesn't?" I ask sounding like a terrified little kid, while burying my face in my dad's chest.

"She will Mija, that girl loves you so much, and so does her daughter. No way in hell she leaves you. Especially since Skylar wants to be in your arms every moment you're in her sight." He says with a light laugh.

Shit. Skylar. That's what this is about; this has nothing to do with Rachel.

"What?" He asks and I look up at him with shame on my face, knowing that when I tell him what I'm talking about that he was going to be disappointed.

"I was angry about Rachel having a meeting with Quinn that she didn't tell me about. I just jumped straight to cheating, I don't know why, that's just where my jealousy led me. We were sitting in the auditorium and Skylar was with Mike, our friend, and she reached for me. I was so angry, and for a moment I thought about just ignoring Skylar's request." My father's eyes turned colder than they were a moment ago. "It was only for a moment! Then I realized what I was doing and I grabbed her!" I plead with him to understand, but truthfully I don't understand it. I was going to make Skylar pay for something I thought Rachel did.

I'm a horrible person. What kind of person could do that to a seven month old? Even if Rachel was in the wrong, which in the end she wasn't, I should have never thought about abandoning Skylar to get back at Rachel. Abandoning isn't the right word, I would never abandon either of them, but dismiss.

"You almost rejected that little girl because you had your head up your ass?" He asks clearly upset.

"I know! I'm a terrible person! I need to go. I need to go talk to Rachel and apologize to Skylar. What have I done! I just ruined the best thing in my life! That's my family Papi, other than you, they are my family! And I need them!" I yell frantically trying to get past my dad so I can go to Rachel.

"San you can't drive like this. You need to calm down. You said that Rach didn't break up with you. I think you are right about going over to talk to her, but I don't think you ruined it yet. You can still fix it. Grab your shoes, I'll drive you." He says calmly. I quickly grab my shoes and throw them on my feet and run out of the house and into my dad's car. He is definitely right I shouldn't be driving.

My dad actually speeds over to Rachel's house; I think he is feeding off of my anxiety. When he pulls up to Rachel's house, he tells me to text him if I need a ride home, but that I am allowed to sleep over if I want. I thank him and get out.

I walk up to the door and feel my heart pounding in my chest. If this doesn't go well, I could be out a girlfriend and a… _daughter._ There I said it, well thought it. I truly see Skylar as a daughter, I don't care that I have only been with her mother for a month.

I take a deep breath and ring the doorbell. Rachel answers a moment later with tear tracks on her cheeks. Before even thinking about what I was doing I grab her face and surge forward and capture her lips. The kiss is desperate and needy. It feels like we are both trying to explain how we feel though the kiss and it is coming out as a mess of emotions culminating into a mess of tongues and teeth. She grabs my lower lip between her teeth and pulls causing a moan to leave my throat. It goes on like this for another minute before we have to break for air. The break is short and before I know it, her hold on my waist tightens and she is capturing my lips again. Her breath training allowing her to need shorter breaks, which causes me to get less oxygen than I should. It's painful, not having air in my lungs, but it's a pleasurable pain because I finally have her back in my arms. I'll continue to take anything and everything she gives me.

Then, the kiss slows. It's less teeth and more lips and it feels like our usual kisses. Loving kisses. I couldn't even tell you when it changed, but I prefer this kiss to the other type. It shows our true feelings regardless of what else is going on. This is the kiss that I need her to give me. The kiss I needed, to show me that I haven't completely messed everything up.

When we finally break for good, she moves out of my reach and I instantly feel empty without her in my arms. She gives me a look of pure confusion.

"I fucked up. Not only with you but also with Sky. I can't even explain how ashamed I am of myself for what I pulled today Rae. Assuming that you cheated and then lied was just stupid. It was fueled by pure jealously that caused the logical side of my brain to just shut down. Unfortunately when that side shuts down so does my common sense. I don't even know what the hell I was thinking when I considered rejecting Skylar's plea to be held. No matter how I explain it, or how I spin it, it still lands on me almost taking my anger out on Skylar. That's not ok and I honestly don't know what to say to even begin to ask you to forgive me for it." I say as tears make their way down my face.

"I try to do my best by her, I do, but I'm just not good enough. Maybe it's best that I stay away from her. I'm just going to end up hurting her. Hurting both of you. My actions prove that I don't deserve to be in either of your lives. You are both perfect, and I just keep fucking up." At this point my eyes have dried and I'm pacing around the foyer with my fists clenched.

"You don't keep messing up Santana. It only happened once; usually you look out for that little girl like she was your own flesh and blood. And I love that about you. I get that everyone makes mistakes, but those mistakes, ones that leave Skylar wondering what she did wrong, I can't accept. Not as her mother. I know what those feelings are like Santana, and I refuse to allow her to feel them also. If you're pissed at me, take it out on me. I'm fine with that. I could care less whether I deserve it or not, we can work through it. But I can't allow you to take it out on her. At the end of the day Santana, I'm in love with you, but she is my life." She says with so much passion that my knees go weak.

"You're in love with me?" I ask staring at her in shock.

"Yes goddamn it! And this was not the ideal way for you to find out! It wasn't supposed to be like this!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I messed up with Skylar. I'm sorry that I made you say you love me in a way that you didn't want to. I'm sorry that I made you doubt my feelings for you and for Skylar. I'm just _so _sorry." I say as I step closer and closer to her.

"What can I do? Please just tell me what I can do to make it up to you, to both of you. I love you both so much Rae it scares me sometimes. I'm afraid that you are going to realize how much better you can do, and that you'll take that little girl and leave me. I can't deal with that, and when it seemed like a possibility, I panicked. I'm so sorry."

I reach out to hold her, but second-guess my actions. My arms just stay suspended in mid air not knowing what to do. Luckily a second later Rachel steps up and into my arms. I quickly wrap them around her slim figure.

"I need you to promise me that you won't let your feelings effect how you treat Skylar. Treat me how you like, but you have to always be there for Sky Santana. She loves you, and if you leave, she won't be able to take it, neither of us will." She tells me sincerely, while looking into my eyes.

"I promise, Skylar will never take the brunt of my confusion again. I will never do that to her again." I tell her genuinely.

She smiles at me and nods her head. "Ok."

We walk up to Rachel's bedroom and I sit on her bed with my back against the headboard. I pull my girlfriend as close to me as possible, and just hold on for dear life. This, right here, is where I belong.

"What are you going to do about her tomorrow?" I ask realizing how badly today turned out. "I'm assuming that you never went to meet Shelby's mom."

"No I didn't, after Mike punched Finn, Shelby had to go to Figgins' office with him so that Mr. Shue didn't end up getting him expelled or something. So we didn't really have the opportunity. Plus I had to come talk to you."

"Wait, what? Mike punched Finn?" I exclaim.

"Yeah." She giggles and proceeds to explain to me what happened to lead up to the punch. The story makes me even sorrier that I left like I did and immensely proud of Rachel for how she handled Finn.

"So I guess, I'll just stay home with her tomorrow, maybe I can set up a meeting with Shelby's mom tomorrow after school instead." She says with a shrug.

"Let me stay with her." She looks up to me and opens her mouth to refute, "Please Rae, let me do this. I feel so bad about what I pulled today, and I could really use some time with her to make up for it. Please." I plead.

"Alright, but if you need anything at any point, call me. This is the first time you're going to be alone with her for a long period of time, San. I want you going into it knowing that she may not be the little angel that she has been constantly showing you." She explains.

"I know babe. Nothing she can do can scare me off though." I explain while leaning forward and pressing my lips to hers.

"Ok." She concedes and snuggles back into me again. I smile at the thought of spending the night with my girlfriend and the entire day tomorrow with Skylar. We scoot down so that were lying and hold each other tightly as we fall asleep.

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><p><strong>So what do you all think? They may be together, but they still have some stuff to work though..<strong>

**Next chapter will have some Santana/Skylar bonding times :D**

**Please Review and let me know what you think!**

**Still looking for any songs that anyone can think of! **


	19. Chapter 19

**A huge thanks goes out to everyone who reads, reviews, alerts, or favorites this story! I love you all and all of the support means the world to me! If it weren't for all of the support this fic probably wouldn't be nearly as good as it has turned out to be, the reviews and everything help to boost my confidence and make me want to write more :)**

**Haha ok I want to straighten something out because a few people have asked about it.. Rachel does not have a heart condition or anything like that, she does however have a panic attack disorder right now (don't know if thats an actual disorder...). She is under a lot of stress and her panic attacks are a manifestation of that.. have no fear, Rachel is not dying.**

**Just want to give everyone a heads up that this chapter is getting closer to an M rating. Not quite there, but we're getting closer **

**Want to say a huge thanks to my beta GE0309! As always you're amazing!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 19<strong>_

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

My cell phone starts ringing, waking Santana and I from our sleep.

"What the hell? Who the hell is calling you this early?" Santana asks without opening her eyes. I look over to the clock to see what time it is and start giggling.

"It's 9:30 at night Santana!" I giggle out as I grab my phone and look at the caller ID. The bright light from the phone hurts my eyes and I decide to just test my luck and answer it without knowing who it was.

"Hello?" I ask in a groggy voice, still not haven woken up fully.

"Were you sleeping?" The person on the other line asks and I instantly recognize Shelby's voice.

"Yeah, with all the stress Santana and I fell asleep early it seems." I tell her while rubbing my eyes and sitting up with my back against the headboard. Santana moves over and snuggles into me, laying her head on my lap. I subconsciously start running my fingers through her hair.

"Oh I'm sorry to wake you. I was just calling to check to make sure you were ok, and also to see if you still needed a babysitter for tomorrow. I know you said that Sky wouldn't trust my mom without meeting her first, but I could take off and watch her if you need me to." Shelby offers, and I smile at her request.

"Hold on a second Shelby." I tell the woman and then look down to where Santana looks to have fallen back to sleep. "Babe you still up?" I ask my girlfriend who nods her head without opening her eyes.

"Is your girlfriend sleeping over?" I hear Shelby ask in a worried motherly tone. I ignore her completely.

"Do you want me to get Shelby to watch Skylar tomorrow?" I ask. At this her eyes pop open and she sits up.

"I thought you said that I could watch her." She says, dejection present in her voice.

"I did, I just figured you may not want to miss school, and now that I have another option, you wouldn't have to." I reason with her.

"I don't care about missing school, I care about making things right. I would really like to stay here with Skylar. If you don't want me to do that though, I understand." She says looking down at her hands, which are fidgeting in her lap.

"Shelby, I think that we're ok for tomorrow and Wednesday but do you think we could possibly set up a meeting with your mother tomorrow night? I still don't have anyone to watch her Thursday or Friday." I explain.

"Yeah. That shouldn't be a problem, I'll call her tonight and let you know what she says tomorrow when I see you."

"Alright that sounds good, thanks Shelby." I say, expecting the phone call to end there. She has other plans though.

"Why does Santana think that Skylar's father is Jesse, Rach?" She asks in a small voice, clearly unsure about her line of questioning.

I let out a sigh and give Santana an annoyed look. That really wasn't something for her to tell.

While still giving Santana a pointed look I tell Shelby, "Jesse is the father Shelby." Santana looks at me gaping and then must realize how Shelby knew, because she looks ashamed a second later and again looks down at her hands.

"So he's the one who drugged you?" She asks in a dark tone that actually scares me a little.

"I didn't say that. I said I was drugged and that Jesse is the father, but those are two completely different events. I think. I honestly don't think that Jesse was the one who drugged me; I was nowhere near him the entire night. Well, not until I woke up next to him." I tell her, feeling completely awkward talking about this with her. Jesse was like a son to her, I could tell that just by the short amounts of time I saw them together.

"Are you certain? Because if not, I will fly to LA and rip his balls off with my bare hands." She growls out.

I feel a strange jolt of happiness surge though me. Shelby has shown her motherly instincts over the last month, but this is really the first time I have taken it seriously. Usually I just shrug it off as a gesture, more of her trying to prove herself than her actually caring, but this time she sounds deadly serious. If she was willing to defend me against her protégé, then I feel like she would defend me against anything.

"I'm certain Shelby, or at least I'm not certain that he did."

"That's not good enough! I'll get an answer out of him one way or another." She tells me without dropping the dark ominous tone she has been using.

"That's not necessary. He is in Los Angeles and as long as he stays there, we have no problem. Please just leave it at that." I beg. I really don't want trouble for anyone who decides that Jesse needs to pay. He isn't worth that. Plus I really don't want him to find out about Skylar. I don't want him to try and take her away from me. That has always been one of my biggest fears.

"Fine. But if you need to talk about anything, you can always come to my office. You know that right?"

"Yeah I know Shelby. Thanks. Hey by the way, how did everything go with Figgins? He didn't suspend Mike or anything did he?" I ask concerned for my friend.

"Actually, he didn't want to talk about it last night. He said and I quote, 'I want to go home, and not have to deal with high school dramas anymore'. I seriously don't know how he is the principal. He said that he would deal with it in school tomorrow and that he wants everyone that was present for the 'fight' to be there."

"Well at least we have a chance to prove Mike's innocence." I tell her and she agrees.

We say a quick goodbye after that and hang up. Santana is still looking down at her hands, clearly admonishing herself for her slip up earlier. I stick my pointer finger under her chin to raise it in order to look at me.

"You made a mistake. You shouldn't have announced that to the entire group, but it was still only a mistake. We're fine now San, please don't take two steps back. Lets just move on from all of this."

"It's not that easy Rae, and I think you know that. Frankenteen has a _huge_ mouth, by the time you step though those doors tomorrow everyone is going to know. To make matters worse, I won't be there with you. That is my fault." She says sadly.

"How is this your fault? He overheard me talking to Quinn, that's not your fault."

"But if I hadn't been jealous of Quinn, you wouldn't have been in the hallway talking." She reasons.

"We can play the 'what if' game all night and we would still not come to a consensuses. The damage is done, no matter whose fault it was. I will deal with the fallout as it comes. No need to freak out about it now. Now I think we should go downstairs and find food to eat because I'm starving. I also think I should wake Sky up and feed her quickly too, because she is probably just as hungry." I am just realizing that Skylar never technically had dinner. She ate in Shelby's office, but she would have normally had another meal right before bed. With all the commotion, she fell right to sleep as soon as we got home and she was so worn out that she still hasn't woke up.

"Why don't you grab her and feed her while I go downstairs and find us something to eat." Santana offers while sliding off the bed.

This situation is so cognizant of how things were when Santana first started coming around that my heart hurt a little bit. We have worked so hard to make everything seem so natural, and for everything to come undone so easily is terrifying to me.

If things can reverse so quickly, how much more will it take to break us completely?

I understand that relationships end. I even understand that the likelihood of a high school romance lasting into college is slim, and I imagine those statistics are worse when children are involved. Santana has no stake in Skylar's life. She has nothing that is forcing her to stay for her. If Santana leaves me, I fear that she will leave Skylar as well, and that little girl deserves better than that. But how do I ensure that she gets everything she deserves?

"What are you thinking about?" Santana ask, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"San, if we were to break up –"

"Why would we break up?" She asks frantically.

"I'm just saying if we did…" I all of a sudden get nervous. This question should have been asked from the beginning, I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe Santana and I jumped into this too quickly. What kind of mother doesn't think about how something like this would affect their kid?

"Rae?"

"If we did break up, how would you handle the Skylar situation?" I mutter out, not entirely sure I am ready for her answer.

"Rae, I love you. I'm in love with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but if that doesn't happen-" She cuts herself off and swallows audibly trying to find the words to explain what she is feeling.

"I love Skylar, Rae. I love her in a way that is completely separate from the way I feel about you. I can't imagine my life without you Rachel, but I don't know if I'd know how to function without her now. It's only been a month and a half since I've known her, but she has stolen my heart over and over again. I hope that all of this doesn't freak you out, I don't mean it to, but I don't know how to put into words how I feel about that little girl." By the end of her monologue, I have tears streaming down my face.

That is exactly what I needed to hear. Without hearing those words, I would never be able to fully commit to this relationship, because I need to know that the person I am with loves me and also accepts and loves Skylar, rather than being with me in spite of her.

I nod my head while trying to stem the tears and pull Santana in for a kiss. The kiss is sweet and passion-filled. When we break apart, we are both gasping for air. With one more quick peck, but no words, we both go about our tasks.

I go into the nursery, and walk up to the dark colored oak crib, lowering the bars. I pick Skylar up and am unsurprised when the baby barely stirs. I hate to wake her up, but I know that if I don't she will be waking me up in the middle of the night for a feeding, and that will mess up her sleeping schedule. Plus, if she doesn't eat now I'm going to have to pump instead and I hate that as much as Skylar hates the highchair.

"Princess, I need you to wake up for mommy. Can you do that baby girl?" I ask running my hand though her curls, which have started to loosen a little as she gets older. I then run my hand over her face and over her stomach, softly rubbing it to try and coax her awake. Still the baby doesn't wake. She really is exhausted from all that happened today. Finally I decide to just try feeding her to wake her up.

I pick up my shirt and take it off one shoulder and unhook the special bra I have on. I go and sit in the rocking chair in the corner of the room and run my nipple over her lips to try and get her to latch on. Finally she starts to wake up and suckle like I want her to.

"That's my girl. Mommy's sorry to have to wake you up when I know that you're so tired, but you need to eat. I should have woken you up earlier, but there has been so much going on today. I think we're going to be ok though Sky. I think that it's safe to assume that Santana is going to stick around, at least for you. Even if Mommy messes everything up, I think that she will stick around to see you and be a part of your life. That's all I can ask of her right?" I'm not really talking to the baby at this point, but talking aloud helps me straighten out my thoughts.

Skylar doesn't even finish her feeding, she falls asleep about a minute after I switch her to the other side. It doesn't really surprise me since she is exhausted. I place her back in her crib and lean down to place a kiss on each cheek and one on her forehead. I run my fingers through her hair and just watch her sleep for a moment. She looks so peaceful, like her day hadn't been filled with confusion and worry.

"Mommy loves you Skylar. I love you so much that it hurts sometimes. You're all I need, even if Santana does leave, you're enough for me. Even if you love Santana more than me, I'll always love you the most."

"She doesn't love me more than you Rae. You're her mother and she knows that. You will always be the most important person in her life. And I'm not going anywhere. Unless you say otherwise, I plan on spending the rest of my life with you." Santana says making her presence known. She moves up behind me and presses her front to my back and holds me tight to her.

"That baby is the luckiest person in the world, because she gets to have you as a mom. You do everything for her Rachel, and you would give up anything for her. She's too young to understand that right now, but she will. She will grow up knowing just how lucky she is because you love her so much. I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon, but even so, you will always be her mom. She may take comfort in me, but when push comes to shove, she will always want you more." Santana say in a volume just over a whisper. We just look down at the baby, and continue to watch her sleep.

"You know, I don't care if she takes comfort in you, or if she loves you more. I know that she'll always love me, or at least that's the hope, but I love that she has someone else there for her also. Someone to look out for her and someone else to kiss her cuts to make them better. I'm just afraid that she'll have you, but eventually I won't. It's selfish really, being jealous of my daughter, but there it is." I say with tears in my eyes.

"Rachel, what are you talking about?" She asks while grabbing a hold of my waist and turning me around to face her. "I love you more than I can ever explain. When I say that I want to spend my whole life here, I mean with both of you. I want to eventually make you my wife, and her my daughter. You are my future Rachel, you _and_ Skylar." She tells me sincerely, but I still have doubts.

"Santana, it's only been a month. You can't promise those things after a month, you don't even know where we will be at the end of next month."

"Bullshit. We may have only been dating for a month, but I've been in love with you for a long time. I love you so much it hurts sometimes Rachel. So maybe for you it's too soon to see a future with me, but if I have my way and have my dreams come true, I will be with you until I die."

The passion in her voice stuns me. All words fail me, and all I can think to do is lean forward and capture her lips. The kiss is short and chaste compared to some of our others, but it is filled with passion and promises.

When we pull apart, we say our final goodnights to Skylar before raising her crib bar and going downstairs to eat. We have our dinner in silence, concentrating on our food and our thoughts. Every few minutes we would both look up at the same time and smile shyly at one another.

Once back in my bedroom, she pulls me so close to her that I am basically on top of her. I feel safe in her arms, I feel as if everything in the world makes sense. _Finally._

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I wake up the next morning to Rachel's alarm going off. She sits up and stretches out and moves to get out of bed. I quickly grab hold of her waist and pull her back to me.

"Santì I need to get up, if I don't get up now I won't be able to get my hair done before Skylar wakes up." My girlfriend explains trying wiggle out of my grasp.

"The beauty of me staying with her today is that you have a little more time this morning. You can go about your business and when Skylar wakes up, I can get up and take care of her. I just want to hold you for a little while longer." I tell her while trying to pull her to lie back down with me.

"I should really still stick to my morning routine, or else it's going to get messed up." She tries to argue, but she puts up little resistance and ends up next to me again.

"Scientists say that it takes five times to make a routine and even longer to break one, I think you'll be fine." I tell her while burying my face into her hair. I inhale deeply to take in her scent, and then place a kiss at the base of her neck, sending a shiver down her back.

She turns over in my arms and looks into my eyes. After a while she just smiles at me and leans in to give me a kiss. The kiss quickly deepens and turns into a make out session as we both kiss with hunger and lust surging through us. I pull the petite girl so that she is lying on top of me, in between my legs, and she instantly deepens the kiss even more. I can tell that she loves being in the position of dominance, I'll let her have it for a little while, but there is no way I'm giving it up for good. After a few more minutes, I switch our positions so that I am on top. As much as she obviously loved being on top, she doesn't put up a fight at the change. She starts running her finger nails up and down my spine, sending jolts thought my body.

Without even thinking about what I am doing, my body starts to rock on top of hers. She lets out a loud moan into my mouth and it only spurs on my action. I pull away from her mouth and kiss all over her jaw line and down her neck. When I reach her collarbone I bite it roughly but quickly sooth the bite with my tongue. The bite makes her hips thrust up towards mine, and it's my turn to let out a moan.

I start moving my hips even faster, and Rachel doesn't seem to mind at all. I take that as a sign that I could probably move a little further and slowly snake my hand under her shirt and between our bodies. I make sure to go slow enough that she has time to stop me if she wants to. When she doesn't, I move my hand upward until it reaches its destination. Expecting to find a bra, I don't hesitate to cover the breast fully. My hips thrust forward even harder when I instantly feel flesh on flesh. How did I not know she sleeps without a bra?

I squeeze her boob and it causes her hips to thrust again. I then move my hand so that I can rub my thumbnail over the top of her nipple. The action earns another trust of her hips and a loud moan. I move away from her neck to stare at her face as I continue to play with my new favorite toy. Her breath is quickening and her cheeks flush, and I honestly don't know if I've ever seen anything hotter. Her nails start to dig deeper into my back and the pain feels so good.

I lean back down and capture her lips again while keeping my hips moving. Her breath is coming out in puffs now and I realize that mine is also. It makes it hard to kiss her properly, but we are making due. I can't believe that we are both this worked up without even really touching each other.

I can tell that we are both really close, I move my lips to her neck again and she lets out another moan. Just then, a cry sounds out through the baby monitor, alerting us that Skylar is now awake.

I let out a small groan of disappointment and frustration as I roll off Rachel. At the movement and loss of body heat, Rachel lets out a whine and puts her arm over her eyes.

"I'd better go get her, and you should get ready for school." I tell her reluctantly, even though I would like nothing more than to finish what we had just started.

"Yeah, I know. I'm going to go jump in the shower." She says as she rolls out of bed. Before she fully closes the door of the ensuite bathroom I hear her mumble, "A very cold shower."

I can't help but smile at this. This is definitely the farthest we have ever gone, and I was worried that it would freak Rachel out. I don't want to pressure her into doing something she's not comfortable with. She seemed fine while it was happening, but I was worried that she would be upset about it after the fact. Luckily she seems pretty ok with it happening, albeit a little frustrated that it was stopped when it was. Not that I liked Skylar's timing anymore than she did. She at least has the opportunity to take a cold shower, I have to just deal with the sharp ache coming from my center and try to ignore it.

When Skylar's cries get even more desperate, I roll out of bed and rush over to her room. When she sees me, her brows furrow but she raises her arms nonetheless. It is clear that she is confused as to why I am getting her instead of her mother.

"She's in the shower Princesa. It's just going to be me and you today Chica!" I exclaim as I pull her out of the crib.

From being with the girls for so long now, I have pretty much mastered their morning routine. I get the little girl changed and dressed and then pick her up and move her down to the kitchen. Because Rachel ended up being later than expected, I decide to just feed the little girl one of the bottles that is in the fridge. There are always at least 2 bottles in the fridge filled with breast milk, just in case Skylar needs to be fed and Rachel isn't around.

When I bring the bottle to Skylar's mouth, the little girl instantly turns her head away from the bottle. I figured that this wouldn't be easy, the infant always wants her mom for feedings, that was proven yesterday, but she especially wants her for these types of feedings.

Rachel rushed down the steps, clearly stressed at being late for school, and probably still a little sexually frustrated. Her hair is pulled up into a messy bun and she currently has one shoe on as she hops around trying to get the second one on without falling over.

The noise causes the baby to look up and see her mom. Skylar instantly raises her arms and starts to cry for her mother. Rachel for her part moves over to where we are sitting on the couch and takes the little girl from my arms. I look over to the clock and see that she really doesn't have time to feed Sky right now if she wants to be on time for school.

"Princess, I really need you to eat from the bottle this morning. I know you don't like it, but I need to get going. I'm so sorry that mommy messed up and misjudged the timing. I will not let it happen again, I promise." She says placing kisses all over the baby's face and then ending with her normal three kisses.

The baby loves the attention she gets from her mother but when she is handed back to me, the tears start up again. Rachel's eyes fill with worry as they take in the screaming infant.

"She'll be fine Rachel, you have to go if you don't want to be late. I'll make sure she's ok and I'll call if for some reason we need you." I tell her, trying to convince her to go. I am definitely not going to get the baby to eat while the person she really wants is standing right there.

"Ok. I'll be home for lunch." She says leaning down to place three more kisses on Sky's face and one on my lips.

Once she is gone, I turn my attention back to Skylar and continue to try and get her to eat.

"Come on Bonita. You need to eat. It's the same food that you usually get I promise." I reason, before realizing that I am doing exactly what I usually tease Rachel for doing. I can understand now why she is constantly doing this now.

Finally after another five minutes of trying, Skylar latches reluctantly onto the bottle and starts sucking. I let out a sigh of relief at finally being able to get her to eat.

After she is finished eating, she starts crying again and looking around the room. I can tell that she is looking for Rachel, I don't really understand why though. Usually after she eats, she either wants to play or she wants to snuggle up into my arms and sleep. Skylar has never really been a baby that cries a lot, so when she does, I tend to worry.

No matter what I do, I cannot get the baby to stop her tears. I try rocking her, putting on the TV, and even trying to feed her again.

I am close to tears myself at this point, because I've never had difficulties figuring out what the infant needs. She's usually so easy to please that I can get her to stop crying almost immediately by just holding her close. At this point she is acting like she doesn't even want to be around me.

It's not possible that she is holding a grudge because of yesterday right? She's too young for that still, isn't she?

After trying a few more things I finally give in and send a text message to Rachel.

**To Rae: She won't stop crying. I don't know what to do. Why does she hate me right now?**

Actually writing out my fear solidifies it for me and my eyes finally fill with tears. I refuse to let them fall though; I don't need to be crying on top of Skylar crying. A response is quick.

**From Rae: She doesn't hate you; she is just not sure what is going on. You're rarely around without me. **

As much as that should help, it really doesn't. I stand by what I said last night, I really don't think that Skylar loves me more than Rachel, but I did think that she trusted me. If she doesn't want to be around me when her mother is not around, she can't really trust me that much.

My phone vibrates again and I see that it's from Rachel again.

**From Rae: She may also be teething.**

How did I not think of that? She's been teething for a month now; I have seen the symptoms of it. Luckily I also know how to treat it. I quickly stand up, baby in hands, and run over to the freezer and grab a teething ring. As soon as the ring is out of the freezer and in Skylar's eyesight, her hand reaches out to grab it. She greedily grabs it from my hand and shoves it in her mouth. Her gums instantly close around it as she lets the cold ring freeze and sooth her aching gums.

Once the teething ring has had enough time to work, Skylar's cries die down and she looks up at me with semi-wet eyes. I let out a sigh of relief and kiss her forehead. She has a tiny fever, nothing to worry about but still present, so I take her upstairs to Rachel's bathroom, where I know she keeps the baby Tylenol.

Once the Tylenol takes effect also, Skylar transforms back into the happy-go-lucky little girl I know.

We spend a little time watching TV; I figure it's best to just have her relax until she is completely pain free. About halfway through a Baby Einstein movie, I feel like I'm going insane and turn it off. Why in the hell would they make those kinds of movies for kids?

I set the baby down on the floor so that she is sitting up, and get down on the floor next to her. She looks at me with a smile and lunges forward to try and get over to me. She is able to crawl now, but she still tries to be lazy about it if possible. Usually she will lunge at us and if we back up she'll get on her hands and knees and crawl after us. I decide to make it difficult for her and get on my hands and knees to and crawl away from her. She squeals with joy and mimics my posture and tries to crawl after me. I slow down so that she is crawling faster than me and allow her to catch me. When she gets close enough, she reaches forward with one hand and grabs ahold of my foot. Only having one arm holding up her body weight however is not enough, and her body momentum falls forward hitting her chin on the floor on her way down.

Tears instantly fill her eyes and she lets out a pained wail. I quickly sit up on my knees and heels and pick the baby up. I rock her close to my chest as I try to calm her down while getting up and grabbing an ice pack from the freezer.

I can't believe I let her get hurt while watching her. What kind of person allows a kid to get hurt? Clearly I shouldn't be left alone with her. How can I want so badly to be apart of this little girls life and yet still not know how to properly care for her? I can't even figure out how to take care of her for a few hours without her getting hurt.

Once the ice pack is on Skylar's chin, she stops crying for what seems like the hundredth time today. I place my forehead against the infant's temple and give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

It's only when I hear the front door open that I realize that it's already lunchtime. Rachel is going to come in here and see that after not being able to figure out why Sky was in pain earlier, that I ended up letting her get hurt. What kind of mother is going to want that kind of person around their child?

Tears finally fall from my eyes. I wanted so badly to prove myself to both Skylar and Rachel today, and all I managed to prove was that I'm a failure. Skylar looks up at me and furrows her brows trying to figure out why I am crying all of a sudden. She starts to babble as if to ask my what was wrong.

I hear Rachel's footsteps getting closer and I stiffen as I hear her enter the living room, the room right next to the kitchen. This is it.

"Oh my god San, today has been an absolute- what's going on in here?"

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><p><strong>So the cliffhanger in this chapter is dedicated to a special someone who tried to teach me a lesson that clearly did not stick :P<strong>

**Sorry if my SLK sucked! I tried but I'm not really sure about them :/**

**The next chapter is going to start off in Rachel's POV and will start at the beginning of the school day (so have no fear the Figgins meeting will be shown) and will work its way up to this point in Rachel's time :)**

**As always I would love to read what you think so if you could review I be so grateful! **


	20. Chapter 20

**I am so sorry that there was no update yesterday! its the first time in over 2 weeks that I didn't get an update out :/ I assumed that this would happen at some point though. School is taking up more of my time so its harder to find times to write. **

**I am also sorry if the quality of this story is going down :( I feel like im starting to let you all down and I'm sorry for that!**

**Thank you all for your support! Your reviews, alerts, and favorites all mean the world to me!**

**A huge thanks to my beta GE0309!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own glee **

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 20<strong>_

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

I get to school that day, and the second I'm out of my car I am surrounded by all my friends in the Trouble Tones. I expect to be bombarded by more questions, but am completely surprised when they all just say 'hi' and start walking into school. Their intentions become clear as soon as we enter the building.

Everyone's eyes land on me as soon as we enter the building. I feel like I'm on display. As we walk down the hallway it's as if everything stops. Everyone is staring at me and the only movement in the hall is from people turning to their friends to whisper and gossip. My body heat starts to rise as my entire body flushes with embarrassment.

"They all know." It isn't a question, it is clear that everyone knows about Skylar. I only need one guess to figure out who started the rumor.

"Finn told everyone on the football team." Puck confirms.

I nod to let them know I heard, and take a deep breath. Today was going to be a long day; I should have stayed home with Santana and Sky. As we approach my locker, it is clear that there has been something written across it.

This is going worse than I expected. When we reach the locker, everyone in my group gasps at what is written and my eyes instantly fill with tears.

**Whore**

I can't even look at it anymore and instantly flee. I run too fast for any of my friends to keep up with me, a talent that I perfected when the slushy facials started. I don't even know where I am going, I just run. This experience helps to teach me that running to get lost leads you to Shelby's office. I knock on her door, but I don't get an answer. When I try the doorknob, I find that the door is locked. Apparently she's not in yet.

I fall to the floor next to her door and pull my legs up to my chest, and bury my face in them and cry. No one in this place knew a thing about me, none of them ever even attempted to. I am completely fine with that, and honestly up until this point I could have cared less about what they think, but being called names because of something so painful to me hurt more than anything. Skylar is my world and I wouldn't do anything to change that, but her existence was far from planned. The word 'whore' has a connotation that is set in stone; am I still considered a whore under the circumstances?

I don't realize that I'm not alone until I feel a hand on my arm.

"Rachel, what's going on? Are you ok?" Shelby asks. I look up to her with tearstained cheeks and shake my head.

"Did you come in past my locker this morning?" I ask in a small voice.

"No, I rarely pass your locker in the morning. Why?" She asks while pulling me up off the floor. Once I'm up she wraps her left arm around me and unlocks her office door.

"Finn spread my secret to the entire school. Well I guess it's not a secret anymore." I say as I start to cry again.

"Oh Rach I'm so sorry." She says as she wraps her arms around me and hugs me tight to her.

This is really the first time I have allowed contact of this kind. Usually I keep hugs to a minimum and when I do allow them, they are quick and concise. This time however, I allow myself to find comfort in her arms. I bury my head into her shoulder and continue to cry. She just holds me tight, and whispers calming words in my ear.

"What does that have to do with your locker though Rachel?" She asks after my tears had turned to hiccups.

"Someone spray painted on it." I tell her purposely leaving out what exactly was written on my locker.

She pulls back enough to look into my eyes and I can see the worry on her face.

"Stay here, alright?" She tells me as she walks out of the office, clearly about to go check out my locker.

I sit in my usual chair and again bring my knees to my chest. I hug my knees close to me and rest my chin on top of them. A few minutes later, Shelby reappears followed by Sue a second later.

"Why is it that you always seem to know when to show up?" I ask Sue, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"Told you Streisand, I have this place bugged." She tells me as she takes a seat in Shelby's desk chair. Shelby doesn't seem to care as she take the seat next to me and comfortingly rubs my back.

"Did you see it?" I ask as I look down at my knees. I'm trying to pin down my emotions to figure out which one is going to stick, right now it seems that shame is the top runner. I'm ashamed of being a whore, but at the same time I'm ashamed of being ashamed of something that brought Skylar into this world.

"I saw it when I first came in this morning. Figgins has already been made aware and maintenance was supposed to have taken it down before you got here. Apparently Figgins really is as useless as he seems." Sue tells me in a voice that's a cross between a caring, soft tone and her usual one.

"Just one more thing that we have to talk about in that meeting today." Shelby says with a growl.

"Was it Finn?" I ask in a small tone. Things ended badly for us before I left and I know he's a jealous person, but I never imagined that he would take it this far.

"How would we know?" Sue says coolly.

"I know for a fact that as soon as you saw it this morning you went and watched the tapes from this morning to see who did it." I tell Sue. I know that she checked; no one messes with someone Sue takes under her wing. If they do, they get punished.

"It wasn't Finn who wrote it, but he was present at the time." She says vaguely.

Or maybe it's not so vague. The only time Finn would be in the background while others did something is if Quinn is involved, or the football team is involved. I highly doubt that Quinn is so bipolar that she would help me one day and cause problems of this magnitude the next.

"If Finn didn't do it then who did?" Annoyance is present in Shelby's voice as she puts her arm around my shoulder and pulls me a little closer to her.

"Wait let me guess! Azimio or Karofsky?" I ask in faux contemplation.

"Most of the football team was there, but Azimio was the one who actually painted it on the locker. Surprisingly, Karofsky wasn't even present, I checked the tape three times." Wow that is surprising, usually Karofsky is up Azimio's ass with everything he does.

Finding out who wrote the word that on my locker doesn't really make me feel better though. The word is out there, there's no taking it back now.

"You ok?" Shelby asks after a while of silence.

"No." I tell her with a coarse voice. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. If they are saying this about me, what are they going to say when they actually see Skylar? I can't allow anything bad to happen to her." I tell them, without lifting my eyes to meet either or theirs.

"Streisand people in this town suck. They are judgmental people who really have no right to judge. But that's only Lima, once you get out of this little hillbilly town… you'll do great; both for yourself and that beautiful little girl. Don't let the idiots here win, don't let them bring you down." Sue says with conviction.

"But what if their stupidity risks hurting my daughter?" I ask in a whisper. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to Skylar because I brought her back here.

"If anyone threatens harm on you or Skylar it will be taken care of. We're here to protect you. You have plenty of people in your corner now. Rach, your not alone anymore." Shelby tells me with so much sincerity that my eyes start tearing again.

"Berry, I have seen you overcome so much shit at this place, most of it at the hand of my Cheerios," Sue says looking mildly guilty. "This is just something else you need to overcome. You can do it; all you have to do is go out there with your head held high and act as if nothing they say can bother you." Sue tells me.

I nod my head to let her know that I heard her and swallow the rest of my tears. I'm an actress; I have been training for something like this since I was three. Once my tears have stopped, I grab a compact mirror and fix my makeup. The finished product probably looks better than how I looked when I first came to school.

I smile my show smile at Sue and then Shelby, the latter of which looks concerned.

"What?" I ask her.

"It's not healthy to stuff your feelings into a little box." She says and her worry lines intensify. "I agree with Sue in that you shouldn't let the idiots around here see you upset, but I'm afraid that you will never unlock those feelings later to deal with them."

"I'll be fine, I've been doing this for longer than you know." I tell her before getting up, grabbing my stuff and leaving with one last wave behind me.

First period is pretty much hell. It's filled with people trying to be slick and thinking their funny. The teasing that I got before I left has intensified ten folds. I have people taunting me from all sides, thinly veiling the word 'whore' or 'slut' with a cough or sneeze. By the time second period is finished, I'm close to tears again.

To make matters worse, I got a text in the beginning of the class period telling me that Skylar was being difficult for Santana. Santana's insecurities were coming to the surface and that was my biggest fear when allowing her to watch the little girl. Skylar loves Santana, but she's not the biggest fan of change. I just hope that most of her tears are from teething.

I have never been happy for a class to be over. As soon as the bell rings, I jump out of my seat and make my way to Principal Figgins' office for the 'meeting'.

As I am approaching the office, a slushy hits my face. I stop dead in my tracks, shocked. A slushy is the last thing that I thought I had to worry about. After the huge scene in the hallway, I figured I didn't have to be bothered with them anymore, but apparently I was wrong.

I just continue to stand in the middle of the hallway, covered in slushy, until someone pulls me by the arm. I don't even process who is pulling me, all I process is that we are moving towards Figgins' office still. When I finally regain control of enough of my brain cells, I look to my left to see Brittany pulling me along.

When we get to Figgins' office we bypass the secretary and go straight into the office where everyone is already gathered. As soon as we enter I hear a collective gasp followed by a few growls at my appearance. Their reactions finally snap my emotions back into place and tears well up in my eyes. I can't even begin to hold them back.

"You want to know why Mike punched Finn? This right here is why." Brittany says in a deadly serious voice that manages to shock everyone else in the room.

"Berry who slushied you?" Sue asks from the corner in a low, scary voice. I just shrug my response because I honestly have no idea, I was so shocked by the slushy that I didn't even look at who threw it.

"It was Finn." Brittany says from beside me.

"Finn has been here the entire time!" Mr. Shue screams.

"Except for when he wasn't. He threw it on his way in here. No one else would be stupid enough to do it." Brittany reasons.

"That's your reasoning? Everyone in this school has been picking on Rachel today, and most of them have hated her since she walked in the door freshman year! Including you and her new 'girlfriend'." Finn screams.

A smug smile takes residence on his face when he sees the hurt flash through my eyes. It feels like I've been slapped in the face. Not only did he just confirm my fears that everyone hated me, but he also has me second guessing Santana.

"I saw you Finn! I saw you throw the slushy. In fact Jewfro was following Rachel around and got it on camera!" Brittany yells.

"Mr. Hudson, did you throw the slushy at Miss Berry?" Figgins asks, getting involved for the first time since this entire thing started.

"She deserved it! She embarrassed me in front of her entire glee club!" Finn tries to defend.

"You told _everyone in this school_ my biggest secret! You humiliated me to the entire school Finn! How did that not make up for embarrassing you to five people!" I scream with tears streaming down my cheeks, mixing with the corn syrup.

"The slushy was for getting Quinn to break up with me!" He yells back getting up from his seat. Mike and Puck quickly copy his action.

"She didn't make me do anything! I broke up with you because you are a jerk, on top of the fact that you physically assaulted me last night!" Quinn joins in.

"Ok. Ok. Children calm down." Figgins says in a monotone voice. "Let me get this straight. Mr. Hudson pushed a girl and in return Mr. Chang punched Mr. Hudson in the face. To get back at the Trouble Tones, Mr. Hudson slushied Ms. Berry?" Figgins summarizes.

"Once you add in that Mr. Hudson also told the entire school a personal secret of my daughter's that started a rampage of bullying. Then joined a group that wrote the word 'whore' on said daughter's locker, then yes that is all. You'll be lucky if the school doesn't get slapped with a lawsuit for that by the way." Shelby threatens.

I can tell by her demeanor that she didn't even process the fact that she just called me her daughter. Twice. I'm strangely ok with it though. We should probably have a talk about that.

"You were involved with the vandalism of the school this morning? That locker took a lot of resources to clean." Figgins yells.

Never mind the fact that the vandalism was meant and succeeded to humiliate me. All that mattered was his damn budget.

"Excuse me! That is what you're worried about? What about Rachel, who had to walk into school this morning and see that!" Shelby yells.

"Of course that too." Figgins amends half-heartedly.

"Now that I have all of the facts on this case, I find it necessary to call in all of the parents and hand out punishment. Mr. Hudson, you will be expelled from this school. You're actions cannot be tolerated, you have physically harmed two girls and vandalized school grounds." Figgins says with finality.

"No!" I jump in. I can't have him try to call in my parents; that would not go over well. "Finn shouldn't be expelled." I say while trying to come up with a good reason why he shouldn't. I look over to Sue and Shelby, hoping that they would understand what I was getting at and help.

Shelby picks it up first, "I agree. I think that Finn should be allowed to stay at school, but should have to do something to pay penance for his mistakes."

"Two seconds ago you were jumping down his throat, Ms. Corcoran. What changed now?" Mr. Figgins asks exasperated.

"I don't want Will to claim that we only beat him at Sectionals because he lost his lead." She comes up with quickly. I have to work quite hard to keep my face from showing how impressed I am with Shelby's quick thinking. "Plus, Finn will not be forced to change if he is simply forced out of the school." She reasons.

"You truly are a wonderful, gracious woman Ms. Corcoran. May I call you Shelby?" Figgins asks in what I'm assuming he thinks is a flirty tone. I think I might barf.

"No." Shelby answers succinctly.

"What type of penance are you expecting my lead to perform?" Mr. Shue asks in an annoyed tone.

Is he serious right now? We just kept 'his lead' from getting expelled! What an ass.

The principal takes a moment to think about it before answering, "Mr. Hudson will be responsible for going around from desk to desk in every classroom and washing all of the vandalism off of them. Chewing gum included."

That actually seems like a plausible consequence to Finn's actions. Color me impressed.

"What! There are like a hundred desks in this building!" Finn complains. I have to hold back a laugh, because there are over a hundred desks in one hallway probably.

"Take that or take the expulsion Mr. Hudson, those are your choices." Mr. Figgins says in a serious tone. Although most of his tones, serious or not, end up sounding crazy.

"Fine." The lumbering jackass says while folding his arms close to his body and pouting. What a man.

"Excuse me, but this meeting was actually originally set up to deal with Mike's actions." Mr. Shue says bringing us back to where he wanted this conversation to go.

I can tell that he is hoping that Mike gets suspended long enough to be taken out of Sectionals. Truth be told, if Mike were forbidden from performing with us, we would be in trouble. Mike is featured in the group number, without him we're screwed.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Chang will be suspended for the rest of the day and tomorrow. Thank you for your time." He says dismissively. I look to Mike to see how he feels about this, and he actually looks like he's ok with it. A day and a half suspension is not bad after getting into a fight. Although it wasn't much of a fight, Mike punched and Finn didn't get up.

"Excuse me! Less then two days for punching someone?" Mr. She screams.

"After reading over Mr. Chang's file, I have come to the understanding that he has never gotten into any trouble while at McKinley. He has straight A's and has been an involved student. The suspension is fitting. Now please, I have other things to deal with. Students get to class and teachers go do whatever it is you do." He says waving his hand at us.

"Ms. Berry, if you would like, you may go home to change out of those clothes and take the rest of the day off. After everything you've been through today, I think that's appropriate." Mr. Figgins says as an after thought. I can tell that he is worried about the lawsuit Shelby threatened.

I had actually forgotten that I was still covered in slushy. All of the excitement and headache that happened in there acted as a distraction from the cold, sticky feeling. Now that he brought it up though, the feeling comes back stronger than ever. I say a quick thanks and walk out of the office and down the hall towards my locker. When I get there I am relieved to see that it has been cleaned off and all of my friends waiting for me.

"Rachie do you need help cleaning off?" Brittany asks worried.

"No I'm going to go home and get a shower and then spend the rest of my day snuggling San and Sky" I say with a smile, happy at the prospect of getting sometime with my girls.

"Ok." Britt responds with a pout.

"Hey can you guys do me a favor? If Santana asks you what happened, please don't tell her. I want it to come from me first." I ask them and they all nod their heads, Brittany a little more reluctantly then the rest.

I thank them all and say goodbye then go about getting myself ready to leave, I assume that they all left, but someone clears their throat alerting me to their presence.

"Rach I'm coming over after school today and we are going to talk. I think it's about time." Noah says in a tone that leaves no room for argument. I just nod and he leans down and kisses my cheek. "I'll see you later." With that he too walks towards his classroom.

By the time I drive myself home I'm exhausted. All I want to do is clean this damn slushy off of me and crawl into bed with my girlfriend and my daughter. When I open the door to the house, I hear some noise coming from the kitchen and assume that's where the girls are.

I quickly take my coat off and walk through the house to the kitchen. When I am about to enter the kitchen I can hear Skylar babbling and a smile instantly takes over my face. This is all I need to make me feel better.

I start telling Santana about the awful day I had. "Oh my god San, today has been an absolute-" I cut myself off when I take in the sight in the kitchen.

Skylar is in the Latina's arms looking at her with confusion written on her face, while Santana stood holding an ice pack up to Skylar chin, silently crying to herself.

"What's going on in here?" I ask taking a step into the kitchen and reach out for the baby. She pulls away from me and continues to look up at the other most important person in her life.

"Baby, what's wrong? What happened?" I ask while cupping the Santana's face while rubbing my thumb over her cheekbone.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I am a complete fuck up!" She whispered in a pained voice.

"What's going on San? Did something happen?" I ask starting to get worried. There's an ice pack on the baby's face, but there doesn't seem to be any blood.

"W-We were playing and she reached for me and she fell and she hit her chin! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to let her get hurt!" She tells me frantically.

"She hit her chin?" I ask confused as to what all the fuss was about. I put my hand over Santana's and pull it and the icepack back. There's barely even a mark on Skylar's chin.

"Ok, alright Princess come with me and lets put you in your playpen." I tell the little girl while prying her out of Santana's arm. Skylar's tears start at being taken from Santana without figuring out if she's ok. "She's fine baby girl, she's ok." I tell her kissing her forehead while placing her in the pack and play with a few toys.

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

As soon as Rachel enters the kitchen again I start pleading my case, "I'm so sorry Rae, I never meant to let her get hurt! I was just so glad that she had finally stopped crying and I couldn't watch anymore of that crazy movie, so I figured we could play for a little bit. I put her down and started crawling away from her. I should have realized that she isn't a strong crawler yet; I should have never tested her like that! How are you ever going to be able to trust me if you can't even leave her alone with me for…" I look over to the clock and my jaw goes slack for a moment. I thought it was closer to lunchtime, I was wrong.

"Oh my god it's only been like two hours! What are you even doing home this early? I was responsible for her for two hours and managed to get her hurt in that amount of time!"

"Sweetheart calm down!" Rae yells over my rant. I finally stop talking and look at the diva fearful of how she was going to react. What if she breaks up with me over this? What if she decides that I'm not safe to have around her child?

"Everything is fine Santì, Skylar is fine. Babies get hurt; it's what they do. Especially when they first start becoming mobile. She moves to quick or tries to do things that she's not ready for, and she falls and she gets hurt. Then a minute later, she's fine. Just like she's fine right now San. She is in there right now playing." She tells me pointing to the living room.

"You're amazing with her Santana, and she loves you. She was confused as to why everything was changing earlier and she was in pain, but that doesn't change the fact that she _loves_ _you_. You need to calm down, and you need to not freak out over every little boo boo, because if you do, she will. I promise San, if something is seriously wrong, you will know." She finishes while taking my face between her hands so that I'm forced to look her directly in the eyes.

My tears have finally stopped and after processing her words a little more, I am completely embarrassed that I over reacted so badly. It probably wasn't as serious as I made it out to be.

"You're right, I'm sorry." I say while looking down to hide the reddish tint coloring my cheeks. If her chuckle is anything to go by, she still saw it anyway.

"You ok now? You kind of freaked out there for a second." She says totally making fun of me. That's just not ok.

"Hey at least I didn't go off on a rant about how my daughter, who had an ear infection, shouldn't need surgery, and that I'm a good mother and what did I do to make my daughter need surgery. Remind you of anyone?" I joke bringing up the first night I found out about Skylar.

"Shut up." She says looking down with a blush as well. I just giggle and lift her chin so that she was facing me and lean forward and capture her lips.

When I taste sugar on her lips, I move backwards and take in her appearance. How did I not notice before that she was covered in slushy!

"What the fuck happened!" I scream.

"That's what I was going to tell you when I first got home. My day has been complete shit. I am going to go upstairs and shower first and then I'll explain everything. I expect snuggles while I'm telling my story." She says with a wink as she flounces out of the kitchen.

While she showers I just stew in my anger. Who the hell had enough nerve to mess with my girl? Is that school really made up of all idiots? It's obvious that Finn told everyone about Skylar, but that doesn't give them the right to do what they want. I will beat up every single person who even looks at her wrong tomorrow.

The bigger question is who the hell slushied her. Teasing her is one thing, it won't be tolerated but it's still on a completely different level then actually going against the rules of the school and slushying her. Whoever it was will be in a wheelchair by the end of the day tomorrow, that's for damn sure.

About half an hour later, Rachel comes downstairs in a t-shirt and short sleep shorts. She plops down on the couch next to me and places her head in my lap. Her cold, wet hair touching my thigh sends a shiver through my body and she looks up at me with a sheepish smile.

"What happened today?" I ask in a thinly hidden HBIC tone.

"I'm not telling you." She says simply while turning her head to look over to where Skylar was laying on her back in her playpen holding a toy in the air.

"Rae. What. Happened?" I ask more succinctly.

"I'm not telling you until you promise me that you won't freak out and over react." She says with a shrug of her shoulders while continuing to stare at the baby.

"I'm not promising you that." I tell her and reach for my phone to text Brittany.

"She won't tell you, none of them will." She tells me while trying to keep a straight face, although I can see her smug smile threatening to take over. Damn, she thought of everything.

"You came in here so ready to tell me, now I'm asking and you're not going to tell me?" I ask annoyed. I want to know what happened to my girlfriend and I want to know now.

"I will gladly tell you, after you promise me that you won't overreact. We had enough people get into trouble today and if anything else happens because of it then Figgins is going to flip. He will take it out on you more than anyone else. So no, I won't tell you until you promise me that."

"Rae I can't promise you that, if I need to kick someone's ass then that's what I'm going to have to do. No one is supposed to slushy you, I made sure of it, and people who go against what I say need to be punished." I tell her.

"So this is about you following the social hierarchy rather than defending me? Nice San." She says sitting up. Somehow the loss of her cold, damp hair makes my body feel colder.

"I'm not saying that, I'm saying that no one gets away with hurting you." I reason.

"That's not what you said though, you said that people can't get away with disobeying you. That's different." She argues getting visibly annoyed.

"Ok can we just not fight please, we just barely made up from the last one. Lets go an easier route, why are you home so early? It's barely third period right now."

"Figgins told me to leave because of everything that happened. Shelby might have threatened to sue him, he was covering his bases." She tells me with a shrug.

"Ok you can't say that and not tell me what happened!" I tell her. What could have happened to warrant Shelby suing the school?

Rachel again just shrugs her shoulders. "UGH! Fine, I promise not to cause anymore trouble because of this!" I concede. I expect the win to gain a huge victorious smile from the girl opposite me, but instead I just get a small sad one. It's clear that she's not really comfortable talking about what happened today. Ok, it's time for a new approach.

"Baby, it's just me. What happened?" I ask her in a much softer voice.

She climbs onto my lap and I hold her tightly to me. She starts telling me everything that happened to her in school today. It amazes me how much went down in only two periods. After she's done I hold her for a little while longer, before Skylar decides that she has had enough of this sappy shit and she wants to eat.

We both get up and go about feeding the little girl. The way we work together in the kitchen puts a smile back onto my face, replacing the frown that has been there since hearing about what Rachel went through today.

After we finish feeding the baby and eat ourselves, we all go upstairs and snuggle in Rachel's big bed. Rachel and Skylar fall asleep almost immediately. I just lie there and keep watch over the two girls that mean the world to me.

I guess I fell asleep at some point though because before I knew it the doorbell was ringing, waking me from my slumber. Rachel gets up before I have a chance and tells me to stay with the baby.

I lay there for a few minutes before my curiosity takes over and I go downstairs to see who was here. I leave the baby in her crib first, just in case I need to step in on whatever is going on downstairs.

"Rach, I just don't understand why Santana thinks Jesse is the father! You told me that you don't know whom you slept with that night. You told me you woke up in the morning, naked and alone!" I hear Puck say.

"I didn't want you to go do something stupid! If I would have told you, you would have ran over there right away and started trouble. You can't afford anymore trouble Noah!" She says exasperated that he's not listening to reason.

"I don't care! Tell me the truth now Rachel. Is Jesse the father?"

"Yes." She says simply. Puck quickly turns on his heels and storms out of the house.

"Noah stop!"

"No Rachel! I am going to go over there and kick his ass!"

"You can't Noah! For one, he's all the way over in LA."

"No he's not. I saw him the other day Rachel. In fact he came back last year after you left. He failed out Rachel, he's back in town and has been for almost a year."

_Oh shit, _is the only thing I can think of in this moment.

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><p><strong>Please review! Let me know what you all think! <strong>


	21. Chapter 21

**You guys are getting an earlier update today! I am going to be busy all day and didn't want to risk not being able to later :)**

**So this chapter ended up being fluffier than I meant it to, oops.**

**This ended up all being in Rachel's POV, it just worked better that way.. Santana's POV is up next!**

**Thank you soo much for all the support! you guys are amazing! The amount of reviews, alerts and favorites are mind blowing! Thank you all so much!**

**A huge thanks goes out to my beta GE0309! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own glee :(**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 21<strong>_

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

"What do you mean he's been back for a year?" I scream.

"He came back right before prom last year. He was looking for you." Puck said looking from me to Santana. I realize now that she knew this the entire time. She's known that the father of my child has been a town away this entire time.

I turn to look at my girlfriend and she has a mixture of fear and worry on her face.

"You knew! You knew that Jesse was close, and you said nothing?" I scream.

"I didn't want to freak you out! When he came last year he was looking for you but he was told you were gone, why would he come back here to look for you again? You're safe Rachel." She tries to reason.

"And what do you think is going to happen with all this gossip and drama? Ohio is not that big of a place, people know each other here; whether they are in the same town or not! Not to mention that Finn is out for blood and Shelby is about ready to kill Jesse! If he finds out and he comes back here he can take Skylar from me!"

"No judge is going to give Skylar to Jesse St. Jackass, Rachel. Just calm down." Puck tries.

"Why wouldn't they give her to him? He has a family! He has a support system!" I scream without even thinking about my word choice.

"And you don't?" Santana says in an even voice. "You don't think you do? What about me? What about my dad, or your mother, or everyone in the Trouble Tones? For god sakes even the Cheerios have started to like you!" She yells.

"What about parents Santana? I haven't got any of those! Shelby is not my mother, by law or by relationship."

"Maybe not by law but the hell she isn't your mom anymore Rachel. She protects you, she helps you, she loves you! She's your mom, and if push came to shove she would gladly take you in if it meant that you would keep Skylar." Santana argues.

"I don't want to live with her! I just want to keep things the same! I don't want to live with another adult! I'm doing fine on my own!" I scream.

"Guys calm down before someone calls the police." I hear Shelby instruct from the curb.

Shit, how long has she been there?

"What are you doing here?" Santana asks the new arrival.

"I came to see if Rachel still wanted to have dinner with my parents tonight." She explains while walking up to where we are standing.

I still can't manage to look her in the eyes though. If she heard all of that, I really don't want to see the hurt in her eyes. She truly has been great recently; she has worked to prove herself and has never pushed me. If I'm being honest with myself, she has definitely been a mother figure to me, and I actually have been seeing her as such.

"How long have you been here?" I ask without raising my chin off my chest.

"I got here as the yelling was brought to the front yard. I was going to announce my presence but Jesse failing out of UCLA kind of threw me off." She tells me. I swallow audibly and continue to look at my socked feet.

"Don't worry about it sweetie, I knew that it would take work. We'll just keep working towards that type of relationship." She tells me, rubbing my back. I can hear in her voice that she's hurt by the revelation that I still don't see her as a mother. I wish I could tell her that I do see her that way, but the fear of her leaving is still there.

"I'm even more confused now. Where the hell are your dads?" Noah asks looking around for any sign of the men.

"They left. I live here alone with Skylar, which is why you can't go and hurt Jesse. If he finds out about all of this, it could turn out badly for Sky and me. Puck you need to leave him alone." I plead with him.

"How can you tell me that Jesse drugged and raped you and then expect me to sit around and do nothing?" He asks me.

"I never said he drugged me Noah! I don't know who did, but I honestly don't think it was Jesse. So please, just leave it alone!" I beg.

"Fine, but if I find out that it was him…" He leaves the threat open and I know that he is serious. I just nod my head and give him a tight hug.

"Guys lets take this inside and off of the lawn." Shelby reasons. She's probably right; this isn't really something that I want aired out in front of the whole neighborhood.

We go into the house and everyone else goes into the living room. I go to the base of the stairs first to make sure that I don't hear Skylar, before joining the three of them. I sit right next to Noah, and snuggle into his side. It's been a long time since I've had Noah around.

"I'm confused as to when you two got so close." Santana speaks up giving the two of us curious and somewhat jealous glances.

"We've always been close. The Jewish community is tiny in this hick town. When we grew up and were about to start high school, I told him to do whatever it took to get on the football team, even if it meant ignoring me at school." I say with a shrug, as if that is perfectly normal.

"You ignored your best friend for popularity?" Santana hisses. "In fact I remember you actually slushying her once!"

"You're one to talk! You slushied and tortured the girl that you claimed to love in the name of popularity!" Noah screams. Santana's face immediately falls; her anger towards Noah disappears in an instant. It's a low blow and he knows it right away.

"Noah!" I chastise as I climb off the couch and go to sit on the love seat with Santana who looks like she is about to cry. Our past has always been a point of insecurity with Santana; Noah is one of her best friends too, he should know not to use that against her.

Noah for his part looks down at his hands ashamed of himself. "The slushy was the biggest mistake I've ever made, even though she knew it was coming ahead of time. Either way, I never wanted to do all of that just to be on the football team. Rachel told me that I needed to because I could probably get a scholarship for it. I'd rather have been able to hang out with my best friend." He explains in a softer tone than before. It's as if he is reliving the situation in his mind.

"Ok, this topic is only managing to make all three of you upset, why don't we move on." Shelby offers. I actually forgot she was here for a second.

All three of us nod but I can't help but make sure Santana is ok. "We're ok Santì, nothing he said changed anything about us. I know that you love me and that's all that matters." I whisper to her while resting my forehead against her temple. She just nods her head while laying it down in my lap. I know she's still upset, but I can't fix that until we're alone. So I just start to run my fingers through her hair so she knows that I'm here, and that we will straighten it more out later.

"Rach, did you still want to have dinner with my mom tonight to see if Skylar likes her? I set it up, but if you didn't want to do it anymore I understand." Shelby asks after it looks like thing are settled between Santana and me.

I look down at Santana to see if she would still come with me. When she nods, I address Shelby again. "Yeah that would be great. Is it ok for Santana to come?" I ask.

"Yeah of course I already told my mom that it would probably be you and your girlfriend plus Skylar." She says with a smile. I am actually relieved that she told her mother and father that Santana and I are dating. It would be a little awkward if she didn't and her parents turned out to have a problem with it. I give the woman an appreciative smile.

We talk for another half hour before I hear Skylar let out a cry. I move to get up, but with Santana's head in my lap it's a little difficult. I look down to ask her to move and I see that the girl fell asleep on my lap.

"Her day with Skylar seems to have wore her out." Shelby jokes.

"Yeah Skylar did not go easy on her today. We napped before, but I don't know how much sleep she actually got, apparently not enough." I giggle and continue to run my fingers through her hair.

"Do you want me to go get the baby? She probably doesn't want to be up there anymore." Shelby offers.

"You don't have to, she will most likely need to be changed." I tell her while trying to figure out a way to get the Latina's head off my lap without waking her.

"Rach, I have a eighteen month old, I think I can handle a dirty diaper." She laughs and gets off the lazy boy she had been sitting in. I tell her which room is Skylar's and off she goes.

"She seems to be trying really hard Rach." Noah says after a moment of silence. "She really seems to only want what's best for you."

"I know. Honestly my need to be on my own doesn't stem from anything she did. I should probably have a conversation with her about it. I do see her as my mother now, at least most of the time, but that doesn't mean that I fully trust her. I saw her as my mother when she first came back during sophomore year too, that didn't keep her from leaving." I reason.

That really is my biggest fear when it comes to Shelby. I don't want to start trusting her and relying on her and then have her change her mind. I'm still going to tread cautiously, until that feeling of doubt is gone. I have to, especially because I have to think about Skylar this time around.

"She doesn't seem like she's leaving again but I guess I understand." Noah concedes.

A moment later, Shelby reenters the room with Skylar on her hip. The little girl looks adorable because she has indents from the wrinkles in the sheets all over her face. She still looks sleepy with her head on Shelby's shoulder. I smile up at her and the little girl happily returns it before looking around the room.

I was naturally expecting her to want to come to me as soon as she entered the room, but the moment she saw Noah she let out a squeal of joy and reached out for him. Noah had really grown on my little girl in a very short amount of time.

Sky's squeal managed to wake Santana up as she jumped off my lap and started to frantically look around.

"She's fine, she was just happy to see Noah." I tell her in a sift voice while rubbing her back trying to get her to calm down.

"Jesus give me a god damn heart attack why don't you!" She says while dramatically putting her hand over her chest.

"And people call me the diva." I giggle out while placing a kiss on Santana's lips.

"You guys should really watch what you say in front of her. Little people have big ears, and with her getting older she is going to start trying to mimic you. I doubt you want her first word to be a curse word." Shelby laughs out.

I think about what she is saying and realize that we really do curse in front of her on a semi-regular occasion.

"It's not possible that she will have already learned them right?" Santana asks frantically. She looks really adorable right now. I'm trying really hard to hold my laughter in.

Shelby is having more difficulty than me because she lets out a bark of laughter at Santana's reaction. "No you're probably still safe, but I would try to break the habit." She tells her. Santana gives me a stern look because I couldn't hold my laughter any longer and just rolls her eyes and nods.

When Skylar gives another squeal of joy, we all look over to her. Noah has her over his head again and is looking up at her. He really doesn't learn does he?

"Noah…" Before I even get the sentence out, Skylar lets drool leave her mouth and it falls right on Noah's nose.

"Ewwww!" He says lowering the baby back to his lap. Sky lets out another screech and starts babbling.

"You're lucky it was only drool, she could have spit up on you, that would have been gross." I giggle as Santana tosses him an ever-present burping cloth.

After another half hour of Noah and Skylar playing, Shelby tells us that we should head out for dinner. We all get off the couch and I hurry to get Skylar ready to go. Noah goes back to his own house to shower. Apparently getting baby drool on him warrants his need for a shower. Again, why do people call _me_ the diva?

Shelby offered to drive since Santana and I would have probably gotten lost. As I drive in the back seat of the Range Rover with the baby, I feel nerves build up inside of me. What if Shelby's parents don't like me, or worse, Skylar? They're my grandparents after all, kind of at least, wouldn't it be bad if she didn't like me? If Shelby's parents don't like me, will Shelby change her mind about me also?

I guess the worry is evident on my face, because Shelby's voice asking if I'm ok breaks me from my thoughts. I look up and see that she is looking at me through the rearview mirror.

"Yeah I'm fine, just thinking." I tell her before looking back down at my daughter, who is swatting at the toys hanging down from the car seat handle. I can't help but smile a little at that.

"They are going to love you Rachel, just calm down." She tells me. How did she know what I was thinking?

"You look like you've seen a ghost Rae." Santana giggles from the front passenger seat. "Your fear is written all over your face, she's not psychic." She jokes. I just roll my eyes at them to act like I'm not worried about this meeting, but I can tell by the way Santana keeps glancing back at me that she can see right through my facade.

When we finally arrive at Shelby's mothers house Santana and Shelby both open their doors to get out of the car. I just stay frozen in the back seat. Maybe this wasn't the best idea.

I see Santana open my door and jump up on the set rail so that she is more at my level.

"Rae, just relax. Ok? Just breathe and relax. Everything is going to be fine. Shelby has been saying that her mother has been looking forward to meeting you for a while, so you have nothing to worry about. It's impossible not to love you or Sky. You're both too awesome." She says while running her fingers though my hair.

After a minute, I finally nod my acceptance and move to unbuckle Skylar from her seat. I hold the baby out for my girlfriend to take and then climb out myself. Skylar must be feeding off of my anxiety, because she reaches out for me as soon as I am firmly on the ground. I pick her up out of Santana's arms and then with my free hand grab a hold of Santana's. I need that connection with her right now. She is the only one keeping me from completely freaking out and turning back.

"Relax Rach, everything is going to be ok." Shelby says rubbing my back comfortingly then leading us towards the house.

The woman doesn't even knock before entering the house, which I guess makes sense since this used to be her house. As we walk into the foyer and go about taking off our jackets, my nerves spike again.

"Mom, we're here!" Shelby shouts through the house. Not even two seconds later, we can hear the distinct sounds of little feet coming towards us.

"Mommy!" Beth squeals while running towards her mother.

Shelby kneels down and scoops her daughter up and into her arms before stepping towards Santana, Sky, and I.

"Hey Sweetie! Do you remember Santana and Rachel?" Shelby asks the little girl.

Beth for her part nods enthusiastically. "Baby!" She points to Skylar and starts clapping.

Sky just keeps staring at the newest arrival. Her brows are smooth, but she still seems unsure about the littlest girl other than her. After a few moments, Skylar lets out a loud squeal and a smile takes over her face. Sky starts babbling to her newfound friend and starts clapping along with Beth.

"Beth this is my daughter Skylar." I tell… my sister.

"Can you say Skylar little B?" Santana asks the little blonde girl.

"Skylar" She tries with a huge smile. Clearly proud of herself even though she didn't get it right.

"How about Sky, can you say 'Sky'?" Shelby tries.

"Sky!" Beth squeals giggling. All three of us congratulate her on saying it correctly.

"Sorry, I was just putting the chicken in the oven." A woman who I assume to be Shelby's mom says as she walks into the room.

The woman actually looks more similar to Shelby than I do, well I guess Shelby looks similar to her. Either way, there is no question about whether these two women are related. The only difference is that the older woman has dark brown eyes, rather than hazel like Shelby.

"Nan! Sky!" Beth introduces still in a high-pitched voice.

"Well thanks for letting me know Beth!" Mrs. Corcoran states acting overly excited for Beth's sake. Though I could actually tell that she really was excited.

"Hello Mrs. Corcoran, it's nice to meet you." I say politely while dropping Santana's hand to offer it up to shake the woman's.

The woman just laughs at my introduction and ignores my hand while pulling me, and by extension Skylar, in for a hug. I stiffen a little in her embrace and Skylar starts whining at being so close to a woman she hasn't really ever met before.

"Mom! Stop, you're making them both uncomfortable! We talked about this!" Shelby chastises while prying her mother off of me. Once I'm free, I instantly step back and grab a hold of Santana's hand again.

They start to argue about what is and is not appropriate while meeting a stranger. Mrs. Corcoran argues that I am not a stranger. She says that since I have her blood she should get to hug me. Shelby counter argues saying that that only works if the other person is comfortable with it. I just giggle at the interactions between mother and daughter, and ignore the dull pain at knowing that I have never had that before.

Finally the older Corcoran huffs and look back to me. "I apologize if I have made you or Skylar uncomfortable." She mumbles a little petulantly.

"It's fine Mrs. Corcoran." I say with a little giggle.

"Please call me Gloria or if you are comfortable with it you can even call me Nan." She tells me.

"Yeah she's going to call you Nan while she still calls Shelby, Shelby. I think you're jumping the gun a little bit there Glor." A thin gentleman with gray hair states while entering the room, it must be Shelby's dad. I see now that Shelby's eyes come from her father.

"Nice to meet you Rachel, I'm Shelby's dad, you can call me Howard." He tells me while offering his hand for me to shake and I graciously accept it before linking hands with Santana again.

"And who is this little cutie pie?" He asks in reference to Skylar.

"SKY!" Beth tells him excitedly.

"Well nice to meet you Sky. And you?" He asks looking at Santana, who I am just realizing has been all but ignored since we walked in.

"Oh my god, Santana I am so sorry for being so rude. Mom, Dad, this is Santana, Rachel's girlfriend." Shelby introduces with an apologetic smile.

"Nice to meet you both." Santana says with a smile to both adults.

"Nice to meet you as well, Santana. I am sorry you got a little ignored there for a moment, we are just so excited to finally meet our granddaughter." Gloria says and I again start to shuffle around uncomfortably.

"Mom. Stop." Shelby demands in a strict tone shooting a quick glance to me to explain it to her mother.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable, I'll tone it down from now on I swear." Gloria says.

"Thank you," I say in a small voice.

"Mommy down." Beth says while squirming in Shelby's arms. Shelby relents and places the toddler on the ground. Instead of scurrying off, she turns towards Skylar and me and looks up at us. "Sky play?" She asks.

Skylar must get the gist of what is going on because the infant starts squirming in my arms, similar to how Beth was with Shelby.

"Why don't we go into the living room and you guys can play in there, Bethy?" Shelby offers. The blonde sighs but relents and walks towards what I assume is the living room. When she is about halfway down the hall she turns around and waves for us to follow. We all chuckle at the little girls' antics but follow her nonetheless.

Once we are in the living room Gloria tells us to have a seat. Santana and I sit on a love seat and I put Skylar in my lap. Unfortunately my daughter has other plans and squirms around until I finally relent and put her on the floor so she can crawl around with Beth.

"Beth be careful with Skylar ok, she's younger than you." Gloria informs the little girl who nods to let us know she was listening. She then goes about showing Skylar all of her toys.

"Well at least they seem to be getting along." Howard says smiling fondly at the two youngest girls.

"Yeah. Sky doesn't get to spend much time around kids her own age, or kids at all really." I tell them a little ashamed that I have been denying my daughter something like this for so long.

"Hey, it's hard. Don't beat yourself up over it. You were trying to do what you thought was best for your family. That's all a mother can do." Shelby reasons. I'm not sure if she meant for it to sound like she was talking about our relationship too, but it still got me thinking more about it.

When she came around the first time, she thought that I had a loving happy family, and really I did at that time. Maybe she didn't want to get in the way of that. Maybe that's why she decided to leave, so it wouldn't complicate my family.

"So girls how did you meet?" Gloria asks excitedly.

Really not the best line of conversation to be having with someone you just met. Sure couples normally have some type of epic love story, but my relationship with Santana was clearly not one of those.

"We've gone to school together since sixth grade. When we got to high school, I started crushing on Rachel but my feelings scared me so I picked on her. I didn't realize exactly what my feelings were until right before Rachel left, so when she came back I took the opportunity to befriend her and try to pay penance for my past. Eventually I was lucky enough to be able to call her my girlfriend." Santana explains with a smile on her face. When she finishes she looks at me and kisses my cheek.

I'm glad that she explained it that way, because it is the truth. Santana has a tendency to tell the story with a negative connotation, so her telling this version brings a smile to my face.

"Well that sounds very sweet." Gloria says smiling like mad.

We talk for a little while longer before Gloria goes and checks on the food. I am really surprised and grateful that neither of Shelby's parents ask about Skylar conception. I would understand why they were curious, but I really wouldn't feel comfortable talking to two people I barely know about it.

We continue to talk amongst ourselves whiles she's gone, but are brought out of our conversations by Beth.

"MINE!" She screams as she tries to take a toy out of Skylar's hands. Skylar sees the attack coming and spins her body so that Beth can't reach the toy. The older girl gets even more upset and decides that she is done playing nicely. Beth reaches forward and hits Skylar on her forehead. Sky's eyes instantly filled with tears, even though I can almost guarantee it didn't really hurt her too much.

"Beth Madeline Corcoran!" Shelby yells while getting off the couch and going over to where the girls we playing. "We do not hit! You know better than that! Now say you're sorry." Shelby reprimands. I get off the love seat and go and sit next to Skylar who crawls into my arms still crying.

"Sowwy." Beth pouts out.

"You're going into the time out chair young lady. You have a minute and a half." Shelby tells her while picking up the toddler and placing her in a brightly colored chair sitting in the hallway.

"Shh, Princess you're ok. She didn't even really hurt you baby girl; you're fine." I tell the infant as I rock her a little.

"You ok cutie?" Shelby asks the littlest brunette as she sits back down on the floor with us.

"She's fine, I think she was just more shocked than hurt." I tell my mother. The fact that I thought of her as my mother so easily didn't go unnoticed, but I'll worry about that later.

I stand up with Sky in my arms and move back to sit next to Santana. Skylar seems to be enjoying the attention her tears are bringing, because she continues the water works even as we sit down next to the Latina. She crawls off of my lap and into Santana's and looks up at her favorite person with tears running down her cheeks still.

"Ok Chica, you're alright." She tells the infant while using her thumb to wipe the tears away. After the tears are gone, more take their place, "come on Bonita, stop crying, you're fine." She tells the infant.

I start to worry, because Skylar barely cries like this.

"She's just loving the attention, she'll be fine." Shelby chuckles out. "She definitely got the dramatics from Rachel though, huh?" Shelby jokes, earning a few chuckles from Santana, which were instantly stopped when I shot her a glare. "If you ignore the tears for a little while, they will most likely stop. That's how Beth's work in these situations at least."

"Uh-oh. Why is Beth in the 'naughty chair'?" Gloria asks as she walks back into the room seeing her granddaughter in the pink chair in the hallway.

"She hit Skylar. I have to actually go get her out." Shelby says picking herself off the floor again. I can hear murmuring coming from the hallway and then a few seconds later the mother and daughter reenter the room.

The little girl walks over to where Skylar is sitting on Santana's lap. "I sowwy Sky." The little girl says while leaning forward and kissing Sky on the cheek.

The apology seems to be enough to appease the youngest girl, because the smile instantly returns to her face.

"Ok guys dinner is ready. Why don't we all move into the kitchen to eat." Gloria says.

We all get up and move into the kitchen where we find a small feast waiting.

"You really didn't have to go though all of this trouble." I tell the woman who cooked.

"Nonsense, I love cooking, it was no trouble. Only problem is we only have one highchair." She says with an exaggerated frown that showed off her teeth. I can't help but giggle at her antics.

"It's fine, Skylar hates the stupid things anyway. She much prefers sitting on my lap and disturbing my meal." I joke and move towards the table. I choose one on the side of the table that had two chairs, so that Santana could sit next to me.

When we sit down, Gloria loads all of the plates up with tons of food. I am pretty sure that she got something in every part of the food pyramid on our plates.

"I wasn't sure what type of food Skylar eats, so when I was at the store I just picked up a few different flavors. Would she prefer mashed turkey or chicken?" She asked making a disgusted face.

I laugh at the face she's making, as do both little girls. "You really didn't need to buy baby food, I always have some with me just in case, but she will probably eat either of those." I tell her and she just nods and goes to grab the food for the baby.

We spend the rest of dinner chatting and stuffing our faces. I split my time between feeding myself and feeding Skylar, as does Santana. Beth has decided to forgo her baby fork and use her hands to squash mashed potatoes into her mouth. Both her mother and grandmother chastising her did nothing to convince her to use the fork. I guess she gets that from Noah.

After dinner we move back into the living room, and Gloria takes the seat next to me before Santana can.

"Mom let her sit by her girlfriend." Shelby admonishes. I feel like their roles have been reversed for most of this dinner, it's kind of hilarious.

"The whole point of this dinner was for Skylar to get to know me better Shelby. I am just seeing how the little girl feels, so sit down and shush up." Gloria chastises right back.

Santana decides that there doesn't need to be a place for her to sit, she simply picks Skylar and me up in one go and sets us on her lap. Thank god for cheerleading.

"Hey Sky, can I hold you?" Gloria asks while holding her hands out for the infant.

Without even giving it a second thought, Sky reaches out for the woman as well, allowing her to pick her up. My entire face fills with a smile of relief.

"I figured if I let her be for most of her visit that she would trust me more than if I bombarded her with unwanted attention the entire time. It helps her trust that I am here to help, not to hurt." She explains. I give her a curious look, because that sounded like it made professional sense.

"I was a teacher before I retired, I used to work at a preschool." She tells me, when she sees my pensive look. I just smile at her and nod.

"I don't mind watching her at all, but you have to be comfortable with who is watching your daughter. So what do you think? Do you want to give it a shot?" The older woman asks.

"If you are sure you don't mind then I would love it if you could watch her. I would definitely pay you for your services." I tell her.

"Not necessary." She tells me, waving me off. I go to argue but I see Shelby shaking her head out of the corner of my eye. I figure that I already lost this argument so I just give up.

We stay for a little while longer before deciding that we should get the little girls to their beds. Gloria walks us to the door and looks uncertain of what to do. I can tell that she wants to give me a hug but doesn't want to push me (or get yelled at by Shelby again). I decide to throw her a bone since she is doing so much for me. I lean in a give her a hug. She immediately returns it.

"Thank you for everything. I will drop Sky off on Thursday morning with everything she will need if that's ok." I tell her as we pull apart.

"That sounds lovely." Gloria says while waving us off.

The car ride home is mostly quiet. Both girls fall asleep within minutes of the car starting to move. Truth be told, I am close to falling asleep right now too.

"Where do you want me to drop you off at Santana? I didn't see your car at Rachel's house." Shelby asks. I am pretty sure that she is trying to ensure that my girlfriend doesn't sleep over again. I just roll my eyes at this.

"Would you mind dropping me at my house?" Santana asks, making a pout instantly form on my face.

"You're not staying again?" I ask.

"No, I think it's best if I sleep at home tonight. For one, I haven't seen Papi all day. And also if I sleep over, we will both be late for school tomorrow." She says with a wink. I instantly turn beet red.

"Yeah, really don't want to hear that." Shelby says from the drivers seat. Santana throws her a halfhearted sorry that she clearly doesn't mean.

When we arrive at Santana's house I walk her to the door and kiss her goodbye. I don't even realize how deep it had become until Antonio steps out and pulls his daughter into the house. He kisses me on the forehead before pushing me towards Shelby's Range Rover.

When I get into the car I am blushing again, having not thought about the fact that Shelby would have been able to see us until now.

"You seem really happy with her." Shelby says as she backs out of the Lopez's driveway. "A little to happy perhaps," she mutters under her breath loud enough for me to hear.

"Yeah she makes me really happy. I really love her." I tell her in a dreamy state. Just talking about Santana turns me into a lovesick teenage girl, which I guess I really am.

"I'm glad that you found her. You deserve to have someone like her in your life."

"Thanks." I respond shyly.

After a few moments of quiet, Shelby speaks again, "Rachel, if there is anything I can do to help you feel more confident in our relationship, please let me know. I am really willing to do anything."

"I know you are Shelby, and it's really nothing for you to do. It's just hard for me to trust, especially after being hurt by someone. I'm getting there, but it's really more my problem than yours. You have been amazing since you came back and you have definitely proved to me that you are trying. I just need a little more time. But you need to know, what you overheard earlier, is not really about you. There are a lot of circumstances surrounding my need to live on my own, and at one point I will tell you all of those. Just, not yet. I'm not ready to delve into that again." I tell her without looking at her.

"I understand. Whenever you're ready." She tells me while reaching across the center console and holding onto my joined hands.

When we pull into my driveway, I get out and work on getting Skylar out without waking her up in the process. Shelby climbs out and helps me to carry everything in. Once we are in the house and I have Skylar's car seat placed on the ground with the sleeping girl inside, Shelby asks if I need anything else before she goes.

Without even thinking about it, I surprise her and even myself by giving her a goodbye hug. One that says thank you for everything, thank you for being patient with me, and one that holds promises of the future relationship that she wants. She takes a risk and kisses the side of my head to let me know she understands what I'm trying to expression. She pulls away, kisses Sky, and then walks back down the driveway with a whispered goodnight and a wave.

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><p><strong>So Sectionals is up next! It was actually supposed to be chapter 19 but kept getting pushed farther and farther back!<strong>

**Please Review! It makes my day!**


	22. Chapter 22

**This chapter finally shows the Sectionals Showdown between the TT and ND :D**

**I want to make it clear that I am in no way a choreographer, I usually look like I'm in pain when I try to dance. If the dance I set up sounds stupid, I apologize and feel free to imagine it however you please lol..**

**A huge thanks to GE0309 for betaing for me! You are absolutely amazing and I don't know where I (or this fic) would be without you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of the songs used in this chapter! Basically if you recognize something from somewhere else chances are I don't own them :/**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 22<strong>_

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

The rest of the week went pretty well. It was a little more hectic than normal since Rachel is used to having the nanny come to her. Having to drive Skylar to the babysitters' threw off her routine and I could tell that it was stressing her out. I told her I would go with her, hoping that it would calm her down a little. Skylar loved spending Wednesday with Papi, but she was ecstatic when we dropped her off with Gloria and Beth on Thursday and Friday. She barely even noticed that we were leaving; all she wanted to do was play with Beth.

Barb had ended up calling Rachel on Sunday to let her know that her sister is still in the hospital and in critical condition, Rachel obviously told her to take all the time she needed. Gloria thankfully was more than happy to continue to look after Skylar.

The week actually ended up going by quickly. Before we even knew what was happening, it was Sectionals.

We are sitting in the band room at McKinley getting ready to go on. I have no idea why the Show Choir Board decided to have Sectionals here this year; there isn't really any place for the three choirs to go to get ready. The Unitards were assigned the gym as their 'green room', we got the band room and obviously New Directions is getting ready in the choir room.

Mr. Shue managed to pull the band members plus two members from Artie's jazz band along with Jacob Ben Israel into their group. They also somehow convinced Blaine to transfer, though I'm not sure how they convinced him to transfer to join a team that clearly wasn't going to be around for long. All in all they look ridiculous; six out of their twelve members can't even sing or dance, seven if you count Finn, and they only have two girls and one of them barely dances. I honestly cannot figure out why they even signed up to compete.

After getting myself ready, I go over and grab Skylar from Rachel's arms so that she can hurry up and finish getting ready. We were going to have my dad watch the baby during the competition, but he ended up getting called into work and couldn't make it. Gloria had decided to come to the competition, and offered to watch Skylar during the event. We took her up on watching the infant during the actual competition but decided to keep the baby with us while we got ready. There are plenty of people in the room to keep the baby occupied while we both got ready. In fact when it was time to feed Sky, Rachel had to steal the baby back from the Cheerios who had taken her hostage and showered her with affection.

It surprised both of us how great the Cheerios were being about the baby, not one of them said anything negative when we walked into practice after the news broke. When we brought Skylar into practice on Monday, all of the Cheerios were fighting each other to get a chance to hold her. Sky didn't mind at all.

It actually amazes me how Skylar went from being an introvert who was afraid of new people to being an attention hog. She expects every new person to pay attention to her regardless of why they are there. I couldn't be happier about it, and I can tell that Rachel couldn't either.

About a second after having Skylar in my arms, a baby Cheerio came over to me.

"Can I hold her?" She asks excitedly, reaching forward to grab the baby before I even answer.

"No." I say simply while turning away from her. I can hear her huff and stomp her foot; the Cheerios have been spending too much time with Rachel.

"Ok guys, circle up!" Shelby calls to the crowd. She managed to gain everyone's attention, including Skylar who raised her arms to be held by the older woman. Shelby quickly obliged and then addressed the rest of the group. "You all know that these other groups are nothing but a joke, but that does not mean that you are to slack off. I want you to give 110% with your performances, there are scouts and competitors in that audience so we want to show them what the Trouble Tones have to offer!" She says excitedly getting us all pumped for the performances. She continues her pep talk a little while longer, before letting us all go warm up and bringing Skylar out to sit with her mom.

When she reenters the room she looks completely frazzled, like she had seen a ghost or something. Rachel is busy running scales with Tina and doesn't seem to notice, so I go and check to make sure she's ok.

"What's up? Are you alright?" I ask her.

I must scare her because she jumps and turns to look at me, "Yes-yes I'm fine, go warm up so you're not scratchy when you go out there." She responds in a strict voice that tells me that this conversation is over.

While Rachel and I are going around to make sure that everyone's dresses and hair look ok, the door to the band room opens. Our entire team turns to look at the arrivals, seeing none other then Mr. Shuester and his original band of misfits.

"What are you doing here? We are warming up, you need to leave." Shelby tells them in a strict voice.

"We just came to wish you luck." Mr. Shue states in a voice of indifference.

"We also wanted to let you know that once we beat you, we are willing to allow you to come back to New Directions." Kurt pipes up. "If you do decide to come back though, you would all be on probation, obviously."

"First of all, there is no way that you are going to beat us today. You only really have one member who is decent at both singing and dancing, four who are only ok, and then seven who can't do either; how does that add up to a win for you?" I ask in a cocky tone.

"One –" Mercedes starts as they all look around to figure out who I was talking about, but I promptly cut her off.

"And I think I can speak for everyone when I say that if we were to somehow lose today, no way would any of us want to rejoin Nude Erections." I say making sure to use clear pronunciation on the last phrase. "At least our coach had the good sense to come up with a sensible name." I point out. All of the Cheerios behind me start snickering, as if they never thought of that nickname before.

"Well I'm just glad that you are all still so confident in yourselves. I thought for sure that Jesse being in the crowd would make Rachel nervous, I'm glad to know that it doesn't." Finn says in a smug tone.

This is clearly the reason why they came in here. That is also probably the reason Shelby was so jumpy when she came back in; she probably did not want Rachel finding out. Why the hell is he even here?

Rachel instantly stiffens next to me. I hear her breathing become shallower. This is not good.

"Get. Out!" Shelby says in a harsh tone that makes every member of New Directions including Shue jump. They all scurried out of the room except Quinn who hesitates in the doorway looking worriedly at Rachel. She stays for a second more before one of the younger Cheerios goes up and shuts the door in her face.

"Rachel, look at me sweetheart. You are fine. He is not here for Skylar. He doesn't even know about Sky. You just need to breathe ok? Just breathe." Shelby says while getting into the smaller girls face. I let Shelby try to reassure her with words while I just run my hand up and down her back while placing lingering kisses to her temple so she knows I'm here. "Everything is going to be ok. I am going to have my parents bring both of the girls out after the winner has been called and take them to my house to wait for us. He is not going to know ok. Everything is going to be ok." Shelby reasons.

She seems to be getting through to Rachel, because the smaller girl's breathing becomes more even and her face becomes less red. I can feel her starting to relax slightly.

When Shelby sees that the girl is breathing normally again she pulls her into a hug. "There you go, sweetie. Everything is going to be alright." She murmurs into her daughter's hair.

Rachel just nods against her, before pulling back and falling back into my arms. I wrap my girlfriend up into my arms and send an appreciative smile to Shelby. She is the only person besides me to be able to calm Rachel down so quickly. She really is becoming a mom to the diva, rather than just a mother.

"Come on babe, let's fix your hair and make up then we can go into the wings and watch Tina and Puck perform." She just nods her assent.

By the time I get Rachel's make up fixed, she is acting more like herself though still a little toned down. I can tell that she is very nervous about Jesse finding out that she is back. I knew that the only reason she was so calm when Puck spilt the beans about Jesse's reappearance last year was because she figured he wouldn't find out that she was back now. There was no avoiding it now though; Jesse is going to find out the moment we step out on that stage.

"Ok guys were on! You are all to go watch each other's performances from the wing. I will be in the audience watching. Break a leg!" She yells before guiding us all out the door.

Puck and Tina enter the stage on opposites sides. Their rendition of _My Wish_ by Rascal Flatts was amazing. After deciding that their two voices would go great together, we had a hard time picking a song that would make sense for them. Rachel found _My Wish_ and brought it to them and they both loved it; Tina dedicated the song to Mike while Puck dedicated it to Beth. With their inspirations in mind, you could feel their emotions radiating off of them. It was beautiful. Especially since you could see Puck looking right at Beth in the audience every chance he got.

We had decided to have them go first since their song was the slowest and then move up in speed. The song Rachel and I sing was next, followed by the group number.

When the closing verse of the first number started, I kissed Rachel soundly and wished her luck before heading to the other side of the curtain to my starting mark. When Tina walked off stage towards me, I gave her a quick hug before getting back into the mindset to sing.

I enter stage left, walking slowly to the center of the stage, and begin to sing.

(**Bold = Santana, **_Italics= Rachel, **Bold Italics =**_ _**Both**)**  
><strong>_

**I thought love was only true in fairy tales**

**Meant for someone else but not for me**

Rachel enters stage right, walking towards me a little quicker so we can meet in the middle.

_Love was out to get me_

_That's the way it seemed_

_Disappointment haunted all of my dreams_

When we meet in the middle we start doing our choreography together. It is a cross between quickstep and a jive with more contemporary steps. We decided to go with a showy dance that wasn't too outlandish. We wanted to show our talents without looking pompous. Basically we didn't want to turn into the old Vocal Adrenaline. We may have offended Shelby when deciding this.

**_Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer_**

**_Not a trace, of doubt in my mind_**

**_I'm in love, and I'm a believer_**

**_I couldn't leave her if I tried_**

As we go into the next verse, Rachel walks away from me and leaves me standing alone center stage. She moves to the right of the stage and starts doing her own dance.

Rachel acts as if she's confused while singing her next verse. As she dances around the right side of the stage, it takes a lot of concentration for me not to get caught up in admiring her.

_I thought love was more or less a giving thing_

_The more I gave the less I got _**(Oh yeah)**

_What's the use in tryin'_

_All you get is pain_

_When I needed sunshine I got rain_

I move over to where Rachel is dancing and grab her hands and move her back to center stage. We redo our choreography from the last chorus, but spruce it up a little more and add on some fancier techniques.

**_Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer_**

**_Not a trace, of doubt in my mind_**

**_I'm in love and I'm a believer_**

**_I couldn't leave her if I tried_**

During the musical interlude, Rachel and I dance with each other some more before both doing back handsprings away from each other.

By the time I starting to sing again, we are on opposite sides of the stage again.

**What's the use in trying**

**All you get is pain**

**When I wanted sunshine**

**I got rain**

I drop to my knees with my last line and Rachel runs across stage and kneels down next to me lifting my chin to look at her.

**_And then I saw her face_**

**_Now I'm a believer_**

**_Not a trace_**

**_Of doubt in my mind_**

**_I'm in love _**

The rest of the group enters from both sides of the wings and starts doing the 'oh'ing lightly in the background as they take their places facing away from the audience. They all kneel down on their marks towards the back of the stage.

Rachel and I both get off our knees and walk back to center stage. When we get to our marks, we just stand center stage and hold hands looking into each other eyes.

**_I'm a believer_**

**_I couldn't leave her_**

**_If I tried_**

We picked this song especially for us, even though we knew that it would be controversial because we are both girls. Even after all the times we practiced it, it still manages to hold just as much meaning as it did when we found it.

We finish out the song doing lighter choreography, which resembled more to the beginning of the song.

**_Then I saw her face_**

**_Now I'm a believer_**

**_Not a trace_**

**_Of doubt in my mind_**

**_Now I'm a believer_**

**_Yeah, yeah, yeah_**

**_Yeah, yeah, yeah_**

**_I'm a believer_**

As the song dies out we each say one last line while walking over to our positions for the next song.

**I'm a believer**

_I'm a believer_

There is a lull after our song was over. I am actually afraid that people are going to judge the song because we are both girls, but after a few more moments, the auditorium explodes with applause. I chance a glance over at Rachel. She is looking at me with a huge smile on her face. We were both really apprehensive about doing that song, but Shelby told us we should pick a song that depicted our feelings, if we lost for that then we didn't want to win anyway. She really has been great about our relationship.

After the applause dies down, the opening cord of _Glad You Came _starts and Brittany and Mike stands and swivels around as they begin to sing. We all follow our choreography to a tee, and when we are finished we get another round of loud applause that turns into a standing ovation. We all bow and make our way off stage.

As soon as we are backstage Rachel jumps into my arms and kisses me passionately. I hold on tight and kiss her with everything I have. When we finish I place her back on her feet and she places her forehead against my neck.

"I love you so much." She says simply as if it came out without her even having to think about it. It causes a huge smile to spread across my face as I hold her tightly to me.

"I love you too; so, so much." I tell her kissing the crown of her head.

Brittany sees us hugging and must decide that it's not a private moment because she runs over and wraps her arms around both of us.

"We did it!" She yells, catching the attention of the rest of our teammates.

The rest of the Trouble Tones run over to us and join in on the group hug. We must look ridiculous right now with 32 people in a huge group hug in the hallway outside of the auditorium.

"You guys were amazing! Seriously you all made it seem effortless. I was speechless. Puck and Tina, you guys put so much heart into your number that there were a few people sitting near me in tears. And San and Rach, I'm speechless; you guys sung flawlessly and still managed to put on an amazing show! The group number was perfect too; you all hit every move with ease! Will was definitely god smacked when he heard you singing Mike, it was kind of hilarious." Everyone chuckles as we imagine what Mr. Shue's face would have looked like. The chuckles intensively when Mike accompanies the giggles with an overdramatized bow. "Now come on lets go laugh at- I mean watch the New Directions' performance." She says with a huge smile. We all laugh at her 'slip up' and follow her into the auditorium and to our reserved seats.

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

A soon as New Directions' music starts I roll my eyes. Mr. Shue should really start picking newer music for these competitions. Don't get me wrong, Michael Jackson is amazing and I love his music, but honestly _ABC_ as a starting number for a show choir competition in 2012? Get real. As soon as they start singing, I have to stop from cringing. It's really hard.

Within the first verse, Finn managed to get the dance wrong, and his subpar singing is butchering the song. I know instantly that we have them beat. None of their members have any type of chemistry except for Blaine and Kurt, but Mr. Shuester is too close-minded to allow them to sing together. Plus you could clearly hear that the six back up singers, who probably never sang a day in their lives, are all off key. How could Mr. Shue even allow these people to get on stage? I decide to just block out the rest of their performance in order to preserve my ears.

"It's not just me, their bad right?" A freshman Cheerio asks from my left.

"They are definitely bad." One of the Cheerios on her left responds before I have a chance.

"What the hell was Mr. Shue thinking letting them go on like that? Did he honestly think that they would win? Is he deaf?" Santana asks from my right.

"If he is he must be blind too. Look at them, half of them don't even know the choreography!" I whisper back. "I feel embarrassed for them!"

"I feel embarrassed that I was ever a part of that!" She whispers back semi-loudly. I look at her and can see all of the old New Direction members, sitting to her right, nodding their agreement, all with faces of disgust and confusion.

When the Jackson Medley is over, the audience gives them polite applause as they leave the stage. I turn around to look at Shelby, who is sitting a few rows up with the other choir directors. She is looking back at me with a face of pure amusement. When she winks at me I have to turn around so that I don't start giggling. Well giggling more loudly, because really, how can you not laugh at what was just done on stage?

As I move to face the front again, I see Jesse staring at me. I got so caught up in the performance and then the monstrosity that was New Directions that I actually forgot he was here until now.

His appearance cannot be good. Why the hell is he even here? He thought I was gone, so why would he show up? The only reason he would have is if someone called him to let him know. But who the hell would do that?

I have an idea of who would have done it. I turn around again and see Mr. Shue looking over at Jesse with worried eyes. I should have known as soon as Finn 'let it slip' that my ex was here. I cannot believe that an adult would stoop so low just to win. Is the win really worth it if he had to hurt me to get it? Is a win really a win if you only earned it by getting inside the other teams head?

That actually seems a lot like what Vocal Adrenaline did to us sophomore year. It sounds like what Mr. Shue claimed we were too good for. Apparently they're not anymore.

The Unitards at least give us some sort of competition, but they are still not as good as the Trouble Tones. It is clear going into judging that we are going to come out on top. With the last notes of the Unitards number playing out, we all clap before getting up and going to our 'green rooms'.

I just follow behind my teammates, I feel like I'm in a daze. I don't know if it's from seeing Jesse again and having memories from that night brought back up, or if it's from the fear of Jesse taking Sky or if it's the fact that I feel completely betrayed and sold out by my former glee coach. Either way, I cannot think straight and I feel dizzy. I know Santana notices to because she lets go of my hand and wraps her arm around my shoulder and pulls me tightly into her side.

"Alright guys relax! I know you all realize that we have this in the bag, but don't get too excited! We still need to be gracious winners, even if New Directions wouldn't be. So lets all just calm down and hold of on celebrating until after our victory is actually announced." Shelby tells us before moving over to where Santana and I are standing.

"Rach are you ok?" She asks me.

It manages to clear my head more while at the same time bringing all of my feelings to the surface. I just shake my head and run over to the nearest trashcan. As soon as my head is in it, I get sick. A second later, I feel two hands rubbing my back and someone pulling my hair back; I can instantly recognize them as Shelby and Santana's.

"Just relax Rae, you're fine. Just let it out." Santana says soothingly.

"Stewarts get me a bottle of water!" Shelby yells to one of the younger members.

When I feel like I'm finished, I stand back up and wipe my mouth on a towel that Noah hands me. I didn't realize until now, but almost all of my teammates are standing around us.

"I'm sorry. It was just too much all at once." I say in a small voice.

"It's alright. Are you ok now though?" Shelby asks while still rubbing my back.

"Yeah I'm fine. I think that Mr. Shue called Jesse though. It's the only reason he would be here," I all but whisper.

I am still astounded that Mr. Shuester would do something like that to a student. He is messing with things he has no clue about. He is messing with my life, and with my daughter's life.

"I unfortunately was thinking the same thing." Shelby states in a regretful voice.

"Excuse me! Mr. Shue did this?" Surprisingly it's Puck that yells this.

"Yeah I looked at him while New Directions was performing and he was looking at Jesse like he was upset his plan failed." Ok so maybe I'm over exaggerating a little, but I'm assuming that that's what that face was for. I guess there is a reason everyone calls me a diva after all.

"We can't let him get away with this! We should go confront him!" Mike yells. I'm weary about going over there though. I don't want to cause another big scene.

"He's right Rae, he doesn't know what he's messing with. He should be made aware before he messes up even worse." Santana reasons, and she actually makes a lot of sense. It's probably best to nip this in the butt now rather than have to deal with it later.

"When did Mr. Shuester even become some sort of mastermind? His idea of payback for VA was to sing funk at them." Tina asks as we walk toward the choir room; I love that all of my friends are willing to stand by me for this.

Without even knocking, we all walk into the choir room. Everyone's face the picture of anger and resentment, except for mine, which is still filled with sorrow and worry.

"Excuse me, you cannot just walk in here!" Kurt exclaims, being the first to see us.

When their coach turns around to see who Kurt is talking to his face drops. He clearly knows what we are here to talk about.

"You brought him here." I say more than ask. He is the only one who makes sense; it had to have been him.

"Rachel, I needed a choreographer to look at the club so we could get extra help." He excuses.

"Bull Shit! Did you see your group perform? They suck! You won't be needing a choreographer because your season is over!" Santana screams.

"Excuse me, but you don't have a trophy yet."

Everyone in the room just scoffs, including some of the New Direction members.

"Wait, you _called_ Jesse here? You told us that he approached you. That's the only reason I didn't try to stop you." Quinn asks, stepping out from behind a Mercedes and Kurt. She actually looks really pissed. Maybe she is changing.

"I just wanted to-" He starts again, but is cut off this time.

"Will, that is complete crap and you know it! Just stop lying and tell the truth, you called him here in hopes that he would psych out one of my leads before she went on!" Shelby yells at the curly haired man.

"You have no idea what you did. You could have possibly just ruined my life, or worse, my daughter's, all for a stupid trophy. I really don't understand why you are out to get me so much; I didn't do anything to you. _You_ kicked _me_ out, _you_ treated _me_ like trash; _I_ simply found a family who wanted me around. How does that add up to me being the bad guy?" I say in a somewhat monotone voice. Santana whips around to look at me with worry evident on her face.

Mr. Shuester has the decency to look ashamed.

"I am tired of you acting like this Will, I'm going to have a little chat with Figgins on Monday. I would tread lightly, I think your days here are limited," Shelby states threateningly before turning around on her heels. She opens the door and snaps for the rest of us and we all turn and follow her out of the room.

"You can bet your ugly vest wearing ass that I will be in that meeting with Shelby to back up whatever she says to Figgins about you. You are a horrible person Shue." I hear Quinn yelling as I walk out of the room without looking back. I just walk down the hall towards the auditorium again so we can start to line up on stage for awards.

Of course Trouble Tones is called for first place. There isn't really any surprise there. After celebrating on stage, we move backstage to celebrate a little bit more. Noah of course offers up his house for a celebratory party, which earns a sharp glare from Shelby but a yes from everyone else besides Santana and me.

"Oh come on guys! Get a babysitter and come have fun with us!" One of the Cheerios tries to convince us.

"Santana is free to go, but I am certainly not leaving my daughter with a babysitter so that I can go to a party." I tell her. Truth be told, I am a little cautious of going to a party after what happened last time.

"Yeah I'm not going either. Have fun though!" Santana says in fake excitement.

"San you can go if you want, I won't mind." I tell her. Even though I would prefer her with me tonight, I would never ask her to give up a party to spend time with me and my daughter.

"Yeah, I don't want to go. I've been to a million of those parties and all I ever end up with is a hickey and a hangover." She jokes.

"Well if you do go, you had better not leave with a hickey!" I chastise while playfully smacking her. I love that she manages to loosen me up even when I'm in the foulest of moods.

"Ok guys great job!" Shelby cheers gaining everyone's attention. "Why don't you all go home and do what ever you want tonight and tomorrow well all meet at Breadstix for a celebratory dinner on me?" She yells over the chaos going on in our green room.

There is a huge cheer that sounds across the room that lets her know that her idea was well liked. The smile on Santana's face is huge. She looks really adorable going crazy over her favorite restaurant. "Ok, how about we meet at 5:30 at Breadstix? Everyone who can make it send me a text by noon so I can make reservations!" She yells before everyone starts walking out of the room.

Soon it's only Shelby and everyone who used to be in New Directions.

"How are you doing Rachie?" Brittany asks tentatively. And just like that all her excitement about Breadstix is gone.

"I'm not really sure yet. I think I just want to go home and snuggle up to my two favorite people and sleep on it." I say with a small smile sent towards Santana. My statement earns nods and hugs before everyone else files out of the room.

The ride to Shelby's house is quiet. Santana clearly doesn't know what to say to me so she just grabs my hand tightly to let me know she is here when I'm ready. The quiet is actually ok, I kind of like the quiet right now. It is giving me time to think, but knowing that Santana is close helps me to stay calm. I give her hand a small squeeze to let her know I appreciate her efforts.

After getting to Shelby's, we pretty much just pick Skylar up and go. I don't want to be rude, but I'm really not in the mood for pleasantries right now. Shelby and her parents seem to understand, though Beth seems perturbed at the loss of her buddy and at the fact that neither Santana nor I want to play with her.

Once back at my house, Santana tells me to lie on the couch and that she would get the baby ready for bed. It seems like the last thing Sky wants to do was sleep, all the activity from today seems to have riled her up. She was currently wide-awake. I just hope that she crashes from her adrenaline high soon and just passes out for the night. I love my daughter more than anything, but right now I just needed to rest.

Santana is gone for almost half an hour and in that time I manage to become numb again. I don't want to think of all the implications of Jesse being back, and the only way to shut them out is to completely shut down.

Santana picking me up and pulling me onto her lap snaps me out of my numbness and brings the emotions back again. This time they come in the form of tears.

After I had cried myself out of tears, I just lay in Santana's embrace soaking up all of her affection and love. I am almost asleep when the doorbell rings, waking me up fully again.

"I'll get it." Santana offers.

"No don't worry I've got it, it's probably one of the Trouble Tones checking up on me. It will be easier for me to answer it and just send them away." I tell her while climbing off her lap.

I get to the door as the person pushes the doorbell again. I open the door annoyed that whoever this is, is going to wake Skylar up.

When I take in who is on the other side of the door, my heart stops.

"Jesse" I whimper out.

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><p><strong>The songs mentionedsung in this chapter are:**

**My Wish by Fascal Flatts (Dedicated to Pezberrylover0612 for leading me to the song)**

**Im a Believer by Smash mouth (Dedicated to Princesakarlita411 for leading me to the song)**

**Glad You Came by The Wanted **

**Jackson Medley by Michael Jackson/Janet Jackson/ Jackson 5 (as seen on Glee!)**

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><p><strong>Ok so I know that a lot of you hate the idea of Jesse, but I couldn't help it. It was always in my original plan to bring him back, and I was going to deviate from that because you were all so against it. But i couldn't, this storyline has been stuck in my head since day one, and i cant just not write it! Sorry for anyone who is disappointed and I hope that no one decides to stop reading because of this...<strong>

**Hope Sectionals lived up expectations! Let me know what you all think!**

**Please Review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys, so I want to give you all a heads up. There will not another update until Friday at the absolute earliest. I have stuff for school that I have been putting off for far too long and I need to get them finished before I fail out school. **

**I just want to also touch upon some of the anon reviews I've been getting. I am not sure why all of a sudden you think the fic sucks, and Im sorry for that, but this story started out as a plan in my head, and I plan on sticking to it as much as possible. If you still think that it's 'silly' or 'far-fetched' than I am truly sorry. As for the characters being too far off canon, I am trying to keep them canon while still having them fit my story, and I will continue to do that but really the farther my story goes the farther off canon they are going to get because they are all changing. The characters in ND are really not bipolar, they are and have always been jackasses (except Quinn who is trying to change). Honestly they were jackasses to Rachel in the show in season 2 also (which is where this stems from). If you don't like it, that's a shame, but I wont change my original story line or plan. I'm sorry. **

**Ok sorry about that :) **

**I want to say a huge thanks to my Beta GE0309 for being awesome and helping so much with this chapter and all of the others :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own glee or anything else in here that you don't recognize :( I also stole some of the dialog for Jesse from the actual show **

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 23<strong>_

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

I just stare at the curly haired boy standing on my porch. What the hell is he doing here?

"It's good to see you again Rachel." Jesse says with a slight sigh.

"What are you doing here?" I ask trying to keep the anxiety out of my voice.

"I came to see you. I came around last year, but I was told you had disappeared. I figured I had lost my chance, but then you magically reappeared again." He says whimsically. Is he high?

"You still lost your chance." Santana growls from behind me. I didn't even hear her walk up.

I look over my shoulder to look at my girlfriend and silently ask her what I should do. She has her HBIC mask on, she strolls over to us with an air of arrogance; one that Jesse matches.

"I see your duet partner is here." He says dismissively.

"If by duet partner, you meant girlfriend, then yes I'm here." Santana snaps back while putting a possessive arm around my waist.

I can't even be bothered by their argument, or the fact that possessive Santana is really hot, at this point because all I can think of is how to get him out of my house without him finding out about Skylar.

"I was afraid you would say that. What are you thinking Rachel? Why would you date someone who has tortured you for so long?" Jesse asks.

His mention of our past did not elicit the same response as Puck's did, instead Santana lets out a low, threatening growl. It makes me focus in on the conversation at hand, the quicker this is done the quicker he is gone. Plus the quicker this is done, the less likely Santana is to attack him. And we really can't have that happen.

Before I even have a chance to step in, Santana hisses her comeback, "Funny that you think that I'm not good enough for her, yet you're the one who dated her in order to manipulate her then dumped her to win a singing competition, egged her to prove your loyalty, then drugged her and raped her at a party. Yeah that sounds like the better choice." She says sarcastically before thinking of the words that are spewing from her mouth.

The minute the words are said, the air becomes thick. I whip around to send her a lethal glare and she immediately backs down; she knows she fucked up. How could she just say that like it was nothing! First of all I've been saying from the beginning that I did not think it was him who slipped the Rohypnol, or whatever it was, into my drink. Not only that, but what kind of person brings that up a minute into an argument?

"I'm sorry what was the last thing I did?" He asks hysterically, making it clear that he heard what she had said. I send one more glare Santana's way, along with a look that told her we _would_ be talking about this later, before turning back to face Jesse.

"I didn't drug you! And I certainly didn't rape you!" He is so frantic that he doesn't even realize he's screaming.

I can't have him stay on the pouch when he's freaking out like this. If he does, he's going to get the police called on him. Skylar hasn't been waking up during the night, so I think we should probably be safe. I grab onto his arm and pull him into the house, slamming it behind him. I point sternly to the living room and both of them quickly scurry off towards it.

The moment I enter the living room he starts pleading his case again. "I did not slip you anything that night Rachel!"

He obviously knew that we slept together; there was nothing else he could be referring to with 'that night'.

"Oh yeah, so then how do you know what night we're talking about?" Santana snaps back at him.

I instantly turn around towards her and give her yet another glare. "I think you've done enough, just be quiet Santana!" I yell. I can't help it, I'm angry that she told him, and I'm nervous about how this is going to turn out. She instantly shuts her mouth and lowers her chin to her chest.

"Yeah Santana, butt out!" Jesse mimics. I instantly spin back to him.

"You have no right to talk to her like that! You can shut up too!" I yell at him. Apparently I've decided that I am going to take out my frustration on everyone in the room.

"Fine, I'll leave her alone. But I need you to understand, that I did not drug you. I hadn't even realize you were drugged, if I had I would never have slept with you!" He says adamantly.

"You've got to believe me! I was completely wasted Rachel. I saw you walk into the party and look my way. I was so excited to see you, I thought that I had my chance to apologize and possibly make amends. When I saw you panic and hurry the opposite way, I realized that I probably didn't have a chance. I decided to drink my problems away. I had like seven shots in an hour and just kept on drinking. I was completely wasted by the time I got up the nerve to talk to you. I was too drunk to realize that you were probably two far gone to be making informed decisions!"

"The night is still a bit fuzzy because of all the alcohol that I had in my system that night, but when I woke up at four in the morning with you in my arms… I felt like maybe I had a chance, you know, like maybe our ship hadn't sailed. I made a huge mistake sophomore year!" He explains adamantly.

Santana lets out a low growl when he starts in on his sales pitch, but he just ignores her.

"What I did to you… that's my one great regret. I traded love for a fourth consecutive national championship. It was a bum deal." He finishes looking regretful.

Santana just growls at him again. I can tell that she is trying really hard to hold her tongue. She is already in enough trouble; she doesn't want to add to that.

"That's all well and good, but if that's all true why did it take you six months to come find me again?" I ask. I don't understand why I keep asking him questions. I really just want him to leave. At the same time though, I want to understand.

"Because I had to figure out how to show you that I had changed! I went back to UCLA and couldn't even concentrate, all I could think of was you! I ended up failing out, apparently college is not as easy as Carmel. That's when I realized that I needed to have you in my life. So I came back to find you and when I went to McKinley, Hudson told me that you had up and left." He explains.

"But you still haven't changed! I can tell the minute you waltzed in the door that you haven't changed!" Santana couldn't hold her tongue anymore, I'm actually surprised she lasted this long.

"I am trying to! I am sorry for what I said to you, but can you imagine my shock? I was sitting in that auditorium because Mr. S called me to tell me that he needed help choreographing his next number. He told me to come and watch them perform at Sectionals so I could get an idea of what I'd be working with. My heart almost stopped when you walked out onto that stage. All I could think about was the fact that you were back! And then I processed your choreography and your song and realized you were singing a love song to the she demon herself!" He finishes pointing to Santana.

He started off talking to Santana, defending his earlier actions, but somehow ended up talking to me and insulting Santana more. I guess that's progress though, before he would have just insulted whomever he wanted and not cared what they thought of it. Maybe he is trying.

That doesn't really change anything though. He cannot be in my life without him finding out about Sky, and I cannot have that happen.

"I'm sorry, that's not helping. I was just surprised by the fact that you two were clearly together. But what surprised me more was that even from the back of the orchestra I could see the love in your eyes. I realized that I had missed my chance, but I couldn't stand that thought. A man can only change so much in a short amount of time, I couldn't help but go on the offensive. I apologize Santana." He says earnestly.

He looks like he is completely serious about this. He looks as if he is telling the truth. But if I have learned anything, it's that Jesse is a fantastic actor.

I completely believe that he wasn't responsible for the roofie in my drink that night; I never really thought that it was him. I even believe that he was too drunk to realize that something was off with me. I am just having a hard time believing that he truly has pure motives for coming here tonight.

What if he already knows about Skylar? Did he come to try and take her? How could he have already known about her, though? _Oh my god_, what if Shue told him?

"So you are saying that you came here tonight to try and steal my girl right out from under me?" Santana chimes in sounding angry and effectively breaking me out of my current thought process.

"Honestly, yes. I'm sorry for that, but it's in my blood to try and take what I want. I am working past that though, and would love to be apart of Rachel's life in whatever capacity she choses." He says earnestly. It's really hard to refrain from rolling my eyes at that.

"Well great then, I'll show you to the door." Santana stands up. I can tell that she is about to ignite the boy's extremely short fuse. "I think that should explain to you the capacity at which Rachel wants you around."

"Ok, I am trying to be nice here! I came here to see Rachel, Santana, not you! So please sit down, shut up and please allow Rachel and I to catch up! I did not say anything about how incredibly rude it is that you are sitting through a private conversation, the least you could do is sit there and keep your trap shut!" He screams as he gets into her face. _Oh god_, he is really tempting fate.

This boy is _really_ stupid; Santana could tear him apart with one arm if she chose to. There is only so much I can do to stop that from happening.

"Listen here St. Douchebag! You come in here, spouting off bullshit left and right, and expect Rachel to just fall to your feet and praise you like she did two years ago? Are you serious?" She yells right back.

I need to get Jesse out of this house. Now. For one, Santana is fuming and she won't stop until Jesse is in pieces on my floor. Secondly, if they keep screaming, they are going to wake -.

Too late.

Skylar starts screaming from upstairs. Both Santana and I freeze where we are. Shit.

"What the heck is that?" Jesse asks, looking around confused.

I don't even know what to do right now. If I go get Skylar, I am going to have to explain her to Jesse, but I can't just let her sit up there and scream either. Next to me, I see Santana pull out her cell phone, probably not the best time to be checking for messages.

When her screams intensify, I realize I can't avoid it anymore. All I can hope is that Santana gets Jesse out of the house before I get back down.

I run upstairs to grab the baby from her crib. When I walk into her room, Skylar is sitting up in her crib and staring at me through the bars. I pick her up and hold her close to me.

I realize how we woke her up, when I start hearing, clear as day, Santana and Jesse fighting from down stairs.

"Get the hell out of this house before I call the cops St. James!" She yells.

"I just want to know what the hell is going on! I deserve to know what is up with my friend!"

"What are you even talking about? We just went over this! You and Rachel are not friends!" She screams back, and I am inclined to agree with her.

"Fine! I'll leave!" He exclaims. That was way too easy. Jesse never gives up that easily.

Next thing I hear is footsteps stomping up the staircase. Shit.

Skylar is now screaming in my ear. Between her own fears and the anxiety that she is feeding off of me, she is not pleased with the current situation.

Before I can even come up with a game plan, Jesse is slamming open the door to Skylar's room.

"Rachel, what is going-" He cuts himself off as he looks at the baby in my arms. He takes a quick glance around my old room, the room that was recently redecorated for Skylar. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what is going on. He looks back to me, looking me directly in the eyes.

"Who is that?" Jesse asks eerily calm.

Again I freeze, how do I explain this to him? Do I lie? If I lie, can I get into even more trouble if he finds out the truth? Does he already know, and is just testing me?

"It's my daughter." Santana tries.

Her lie is week at best. Skylar is clearly no Hispanic, and looks nothing like Santana. In fact Skylar looks incredibly similar to me, for being so young.

"I don't think so." He says with a scoff.

"Who is she?" He asks again not taking his eyes off of me. He hasn't spared Skylar a second look since first lying eyes on her. It actually looks like he is avoiding looking at her.

"She is my sister." I lie, it didn't work with Shelby, but I doubt that Jesse knows that much about the situation so it could work.

"I don't think so. Who is she Rachel?" Apparently it didn't work with him either. Damn it!

I don't know what to do, I am stuck in a corner and I have nowhere to run.

"She's my daughter." I finally answer with a defeating sigh.

"With who?" He asks finally breaking eye contact, but still purposefully avoiding looking at Sky. Now he is looking around the room as if looking for a picture of Skylar's dad somewhere.

I look at Santana for help. What am I supposed to do? Lie, or tell the truth? Both seem to have huge implications and consequences. Santana looks from Jesse to me, and then down to the infant snuggled into my chest, still crying.

The Latina's eyes linger on Skylar for longer than they did on Jesse or me before she looks back up at me. She just nods her head. I close my eyes, because as much as I trust Santana, she really doesn't know Jesse that well. She could be completely wrong. I reach my hand out towards her to let her know I need her next to me. Partly because of the comfort I get when she is around but also because I am scared of how Jesse is going to react. I know she understands when she is immediately at my side.

I take a deep breath and exhale shakily. There is a possibility of this going well right? I could tell him and he could be happy to allow me custody. That's possible right? I feel Santana's soft touch on my back and I know I have to give an answer.

"She's yours Jesse." I finally say after over a minute of preparing myself.

I would lie, but if you look at Skylar, really look at her, it's obvious that Jesse is her father. She got most of her genetic markers from me, but there are still some that are distinctly Jesse.

"Excuse me?" He says moving back as if he had been slapped.

I guess he really _didn't_ know before this.

"She's yours. I ended up getting pregnant the night we slept together." I clarify even though it's really unnecessary.

"No! You're wrong! I used a condom!" He screams, scaring Skylar even more.

She instantly clings to me even more and her wails become even higher pitched. I don't know what to do, I can't leave her in here alone when she's terrified, but I can't have him in here scaring her like this. I know for a fact that Santana won't leave me alone with him so she can watch Sky; I'm not even sure I want that.

This is not how I expected him to react. Of all the scenarios that have gone through my head, this was never one of them. I could have never imagined that he wouldn't want Skylar. She's perfect; everyone she comes into contact with loves her immediately. For god sakes Finn tried to claim her as his own!

"Ok, you need to calm down!" Santana says stepping in front Skylar and I.

"No! I won't calm down! I used a god damn condom!" He screams again.

"You need to stop cursing!" Santana yells back stepping closer to the boy.

"Condoms break all the time Jesse, they never claim to be 100% effective." I tell him trying to calm him down, but it doesn't seem to work because he takes a step towards me. I instantly take a step back and Santana takes a step towards him.

Skylar's cries are now at a piercing level. She is absolutely terrified, but I no longer have a choice in the matter. If he is going to try to hurt me, I can't have Skylar in my arms. I kiss her three times quickly before prying her off of my shirt. It ends up being more difficult that I expected, but after a few moments and a couple of tries, I finally free my shirt from her grasp and put her in her crib, raising the bar.

"Outside now!" I yell over the chaos. When he doesn't move, Santana pushes him out of the door and into the hallway.

"I am sorry if this upsets you. But it's the truth! You need to get over it, it's done, it happened." I tell him. "Just calm down and please get the hell out of my house."

"No! I'm not leaving until we straighten this out!"

"What is there to straighten out?" I scream.

Does he really expect us to get anything decided like this? I think we should go and cool down and then come back and figure this all out another day.

"I want to know why you're lying!" He screams.

"What are you talking about? I'm not lying to you! Why in the hell would I lie?" I yell.

I tried my best to keep this from him, why would I all of a sudden decide to lie about who the father is?

"Because you probably don't have a clue who her real father is! You were all over me that night! You are probably like that all the time! You don't know who the real father is, so you are deciding to just pin it on me! Well you know what? Find someone else to blame. I am not taking responsibility for a child because you're a slut!" He screams while grabbing ahold of my arm so tight that it feels like it's about to snap. Okay, now I'm starting to get really scared. I never thought Jesse was the kind of guy that would hurt me like this.

I let out a loud sob. Santana pushes him off of me, and moves to punch him in the face, but he is quick enough to dodge it. I can't even think straight right now.

Not only does he not want custody, he thinks that I'm a slut and have been sleeping with so many guys that I can't figure out who the father is. Is that really what he thinks of me? Is that what everyone thinks of me?

"How can you even say that! Rachel was a virgin before you got your hands on her! She is most certainly not a slut! She is perfect! That baby is perfect! If you don't want to take responsibility for her then fine! Just get out!" Santana screams at the boy taking another couple of swings at him. This time her right hook hits him right in the jaw.

"It's not my responsibility to take on! That baby doesn't even look anything like me! You can take your spawn and go shove it! I am not going to ruin my life because she was stupid enough to get knocked up and then to let that mistake live! If she were smart, she wouldn't have even let that abomination take its first breath!" He yells.

At this I snap. He wants to talk about me, fine. But under no circumstances is he _ever_ allowed to talk about my daughter like that.

Everything goes black as I lunge forward with a force that I didn't even know I was capable of. Arms secure around my waist holding me back from attacking and killing the boy.

"Don't you ever fucking talk about my daughter like that! She was not a mistake! She was a miracle. She is the best thing in my life! You're just too stupid to see it! How dare you tell me that it was a mistake to let her live!" I scream at the top of my lungs, still trying to get out of the hold of who ever is preventing me from getting to him. I'm out for blood, and all I want is to see him suffer.

"Rachie calm down. Please! Please calm down Rachie, you're scaring me. This isn't you. You're a nice person. Don't do this Rachel. Think about Skylar, she needs her mom. If you hurt him like you want to, you'll go to jail and they will take Skylar away from you. She needs you Rachie. Just calm down for Sky." When did Brittany even get here?

At the mention of Skylar I am able to calm down enough for my vision to clear. Brittany is not the only new arrival. I look over to an equally fuming Santana, who is currently being held back by Quinn who seems to be whispering soothing words into my girlfriend's ear to try and calm her. Noah has Jesse pinned against the wall and is continuously punching him in the gut and face. Mike is currently trying to pry Puck off of Jesse. I don't see Tina anywhere, which is strange because usually she would be with Mike.

Out of nowhere, Shelby comes flying up the stairs and rips Noah off of his punching bag. Once the mohawked boy is out of range, Mike grabs ahold of him and drags him over to where we are standing.

"Oh Shelby, thank god you're here. Did you see what that caveman just did to me?" Jesse manages to get out while trying to catch his breath. Noah really did a number on him. "Can you believe that _slut_ thinks I'm that thing's father?"

Shelby turns on him and pins him with a fierce glare. Wow, if looks could kill. "Shut up Jesse. You are lucky I didn't let him kill you. Hell, you're lucky that _I _don't kill you for what you just said. _Get. The. Fuck._ out of here and don't you ever come near any of us again! If you do, I promise you that Puckerman will be the least of your worries." Shelby hisses into the older boys face before pushing him towards the stares. Jesse has the good sense to run out of the house as fast as he can. Holy shit, remind me never to get on Shelby's bad side.

Once he's out of the house, Quinn and Brittany let go of Santana and me. The second that I am free of my restraints I run as fast as I can to Skylar's room. She is still screaming and I cannot believe I let that get that bad with her in the house.

As I enter her room I see that Tina had apparently taken up the task of trying to comfort the little girl. I don't even look at Tina before grabbing Skylar from her arms. The seven month old holds onto me with so much strength that it almost hurts, but I hold onto her just as tightly nonetheless. She is shaking she is still so scared and I finally let all of the tears I've been holding back take over. I let out a loud sob and fall to the ground, cradling the baby to me. A second later, I feel Santana's arms are around me.

"Rae, baby, you need to calm down. Skylar won't calm down until you do." Santana whispers in my ear.

She's right, my tears are fueling Skylar's and I realize that if I don't calm down she won't either. She is going to make herself sick if she doesn't calm down.

"Shh baby girl I'm here. Mommy's here and everything is ok. Princess, everything's ok, just relax." I sooth.

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I cannot believe that I just caused all of that because I have such a bad temper. None of that had to happen, he could have come and left being none the wiser. But I am such an idiot that I had to open my mouth. I am just glad that I texted everyone when I did.

All I can do now is try to rectify the situation. After holding onto Rachel and Skylar for a few more minutes, both of their tears slow. It scares me how scared the little girl was, and how she reacted to that fear.

After a few more minutes, I stand up and help Rachel to stand. We don't say anything to each other, there is nothing to say, we just stand up and go down to where we assume everyone is waiting.

We walk into the living room and find everyone sitting around in a somber mood. Brittany and Quinn are both working on fixing up Puck's hands, which look to be bleeding profusely still. I decide to send a text out to my dad to ask him to come and help out. Not only do Puck's hands need to be looked at, but I want him to look at Skylar just in case also.

I sit down on the love seat. I am not sure how Rachel is feeling about me right now, so I leave enough room so that she can sit away from me if she wants. Instead, she sits down on my lap and cradles the baby between our bodies, curing up into as much of a ball as possible without hurting the baby. When my neck starts to become wet, I realize that she is crying silently, trying to ensure that Skylar doesn't freak out again. I just wrap my arms tightly around them both and try to sooth Rachel quickly so Sky doesn't see her getting upset again.

Everyone just continues to sit around silently, waiting for Rachel to be ready to talk.

Another few minutes later and she finally raises her face from my neck. I try my best to wipe the tears off her face, to which I get a small sad smile in return. At least it's something.

"Why are you all here?" She turns to everyone else and asks, her voice hoarse from screaming and then from crying.

"Santana sent out a mass text to the trouble tones telling us that Jesse showed up and that we should hurry over." Mike answers. I am glad that they all listened, because if they would have been even a minute later, it's possible that they would have been helping us clean up a murder instead.

"How did you get here?" she asks looking at Quinn. I didn't even think about how strange it is that Quinn was here.

"I was at the Trouble Tones celebration party, and when everyone got the text I told them I was coming." She says looking down at her hands. She looks a little dejected, as if she is upset that I didn't think to text her.

She has really been trying to be a good friend lately, but that doesn't mean that this is something I would call her for. Plus I already had a preset group in my phone and just texted that, Quinn isn't in the Trouble Tones.

"Whose with Beth?" Rachel asks Shelby.

It sounds like she is upset that everyone dropped everything to come and help out. It scares me because she is acting similar to the way she did when we first became friends. I will go and find St. Jackass and actually kill him if he knocks her back to the stage she was at close to two months ago. I've worked way to hard to get her here to have him ruin everything.

"My parents were still over my house at the time, so they stayed with her while I came here." Shelby tells her.

"You didn't have to do that." Rachel responds in a small voice.

"Of course I did. You're my daughter Rachel, and that means I am going to be here as quickly as I can anytime you need me. I think everyone in this room feels like that." She says and everyone murmurs their agreement.

"There is nothing that you could ask for that is too big. I love you Rachel, and I am going to be here for you no matter what." She tells her daughter earnestly. I think that Shelby can tell that Rachel is starting to fold in on herself also. She seems just as determined as I am to stop that from happening.

"Still, you guys were having a good time, and I couldn't even control my personal life long enough for you guys to enjoy your victory." She is talking so softly. I can hear the guilt in her voice. She has absolutely nothing to feel guilty about.

"Just stop it Rachel. This is not your fault. This is completely and totally Jesse's fault. It has been from the beginning. I am ecstatic that something as amazing as Skylar came out of that terrible event, but you had to know that the other shoe was going to drop sooner or later. I for one am just glad that it happened when we all happened to be so close." Puck says while getting onto his knees in front of the love seat. He tries to get Rachel to meet his eyes, but she's not having it.

"Rachel, I think that you should report this to the police. We could even look into getting a restraining order out to protect you three." Tina offers.

"I'm not going to the police." Rachel says succinctly.

"Rach, we went though this when everything first happened. I thought from the very beginning that you should have reported the abuse, but I think it's even more important now. Sure he may not have drugged you, but he still date raped you, and now he has physically assaulted you. I think it's time to go to the police about it." Puck tries to convince her. I'm with him on this one. The jackass needs to pay somehow for what he did to her.

"And I told you from the beginning, I'm not going to the police. We got into plenty of fights about this before Noah, and they never went in your favor. Just let it go and please lets all just move on." She says unwaveringly. This time she meets his eyes.

We can all tell that we aren't going to win this argument. We all look around the room at each other, and silently agree to drop it. For now.

"Rachie, I don't want you, Sannie, and Sky to be alone tonight. Could we all have a big sleep over instead?" Brittany asks.

I expect Rachel to refuse, but instead she just sits up a little bit, while still remaining close to me, and looks around the room. Everyone seems like they really like the idea, honestly so do I. I don't like the idea of being alone just the three of us, in case he decides to come back again tonight. Though I doubt he is stupid enough to do that.

"Yeah, I would like that. If you guys want to, but you don't have to feel obligated to." She adds quickly.

Everyone lets out a small lackluster cheer.

"How about I drive everyone to their houses quickly to pick up clothes to wear and then we'll come back here?" Quinn offers.

Only problem with that is that that would leave Rachel and I alone until they get back.

"I'll wait here with you girls until they get back." Shelby states. Well that solves that problem.

"Ok, thanks guys." I respond and hold on tighter to Rachel and Skylar.

The next few minutes are filled with awkward silence, no one knowing what to say. When I realize that Rachel's breathing has evened out, I look down to see both her and Skylar asleep in my arms. I smile a sad smile at them.

"They asleep?" Shelby asks, startling me a little bit.

"Yeah. Skylar was exhausted from all the excitement from the competition today, and Rachel just wore herself out with worry and then with all of this." I answer with a shrug.

"Thank you for being here for them Santana. I don't even know what would have happened if you weren't." I know what would have happened, Jesse would never have found out about Sky because I wouldn't have been here to open my big mouth.

"Well, there's no where I'd rather be, but if I weren't here things probably would have ended a lot better then they did." I say with shame filling my voice.

"What do you mean?" Shelby asks with both inquisitiveness and worry in her voice.

"When Jesse showed up, I let him get to me. He hit a particularly sore spot and I accused him of drugging and raping her. He flipped and started screaming out on the porch, which is how he even ended up in the house in the first place. Everything went down hill from there. But I was also the one to engage in a screaming match with him, which effectively woke Skylar up." As I explain how this is all my fault, even more guilt piles onto me. I have to close my eyes; I can't even look at Rachel and Skylar asleep in my arms because of the overwhelming guilt. I feel Shelby's hand on my shoulder and I open my eyes to see that she had moved to sit next to Rachel and me on the loveseat.

"Stop beating yourself up Santana. Jesse knows how to get under people's skin and rile them up. He's an expert at it, it's how he usually ends up on top. He just drives people mad until they fall and then he climbs into their spot. He wanted Rachel, he saw that as his top spot, and you were in his way. You engaged him, which sucks, but I have no doubt that he pushed you into it. He won't quit until either he gets burnt or he gets what he wants. Honestly though if I had been here when he showed up, I would have accused him too, we all would have."

"She didn't, she got so mad when I did too." I say sorrowfully.

"Yeah, well she's got it in her mind that nothing can be done to help her, and that's all she sees. She didn't see the reason to call him on it, because she didn't see herself worthy of being defended."

"But wasn't she right nonetheless? It all ended up as a epic failure, so doesn't that count as her being right?" I ask.

"No. It was a coincidence that the first opportunity you had to confront him was somewhere that the secret of Skylar could come out. It just so happened that he showed up here. And I know that you're blaming yourself for other reasons, but you need to stop. If you don't then you're not going to be able to fix it. Honestly, even if Rachel doesn't see it right now, this was going to happen whether it was today or ten years from now. And like Noah said, we are lucky that it happened when we were all able to get here quickly." I just nod once to let her know I'm listening. I honestly can't do much more than that.

"I'm not doubting that this is going to mess her up some, but I think all in all, it could have been much worse. She will get past this. All she needs is to know that she has people here for her. Most importantly, she needs to know that you're here for her, no matter what." Shelby tells me and I nod reverently.

I look at Rachel asleep in my arms. I hope she's right. I hope that Rachel will make it though this like she has everything else. This isn't the worse thing that has happened to her. I wish it were, but it's not. If she got through that she can get through this. She has to. I press my lips to her forehead, close my eyes, and make a promise that I will make sure that she does, no matter what it takes.

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><p><strong>Hope you all liked it! I know a lot of you hated the concept of Jesse, but he was always supposed to be in and out like this :**

**Let me know what you think! Please Review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**I'm back! The schoolwork sucked, but its over now (for the most part)... I am going to try to go back to everyday updates, but I may need a few days to get into the swing of things again. That being said I have comedown with a mysterious illness and am tired all the time.. I will try to write through it but no promises :/**

**A lot of you wanted fluffy so here it is.. I didn't know what more drama to put them through right now lol..**

**You guys are amazing with the reviews, alerts and favorites! I'm speechless, it is just so awesome how supportive and great you guys are!**

**HUGE thanks to my beta GE0309 for being helpful and realizing that this chapter didn't make sense when i first wrote it :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own glee :( Skylar is my own though!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 24<strong>_

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

I dreamt of Jesse coming back to take Skylar; saying that he changed his mind. Skylar and I were crying trying to reach out for each other while Jesse just laughed evilly. Santana kept lunging for the boy and my daughter but every time she did it's like she hit an invisible force field, she couldn't get to them. She couldn't get to me.

When I felt someone trying to take the infant out of my arms I instantly woke up, clinging tighter to Sky.

"Rach, it's only me. Tana asked me to come look at Puckerman's hand and told me to look at Skylar just incase the fear or screaming somehow hurt her." Antonio explains but still pulls away from trying to grab Skylar.

I sit up further in Santana's lap and lean my head on her shoulder while holding Skylar out to Tony. Once he has her securely in his arms my arms drop limply back to my body. I feel Santana kiss my temple and hold me tighter. I just bask in her warmth and love for a few moments before looking out to the rest of the group who had apparently came back while I was sleeping. Puck is sitting next to Mike who has Tina in his lap on the other couch. Shelby is sitting on the lazy boy on the other side of the room, while Quinn and Brittany are sitting on the sectional together. I smile the tiniest smile to myself because the Trouble Tones had truly become like a family to me, and this only proves it.

Even after the short nap, filled with nightmares of my biggest fear, I feel much better than I did before falling asleep. Knowing that all these people actually care about me definitely helps, but the most helpful thing is having Santana holding on to me tightly.

"You ok Noah?" I ask barely above a murmur, my voice still hoarse from crying and sleep.

"Yeah just a couple of scrapes and cuts. The first punch he managed to duck and I hit the wall, and a few of the punches landed funny and managed to mess my hands up. I'll be fine after they heal some." He says with a smug smile, obviously glad that he got a piece of Jesse. Honestly so am I.

I nod to let him know I heard him and then look around the room again. Now that most of the shock has worn off I realize that I had been incredibly rude earlier. I told them that they hadn't needed to come, but never thanked them for showing up.

"Thank you all for coming here and helping. It means a lot that you dropped everything to come." I say ducking my head; both out of shame and embarrassment that I had needed their help for something like this.

They all murmur their 'you're welcome's. Shelby gets up out of the lazy boy and squats down next to the loveseat in front of Santana and me.

"Are you going to be ok tonight? I can stay if you want, I would just need to go pick up Beth from my house." She asks, running her fingers through my hair lightly.

"No, I think we'll be ok. There are plenty of people here in case by some twist of fate he comes back." I say. I realize that sounds really dramatic, but what can I say, I'm a dramatic person.

"Ok, well if you need me for any reason I'm only a call away." She says directly to Santana and me. "If not then I will see most of you tomorrow at dinner." She finishes while addressing everyone in the room.

Before standing, she leans forward and kisses me on the forehead. Even though I had been incredibly reluctant to allow anything like that in the past, I still feel safe and loved by the simple motherly kiss. I just smile at her before disentangling myself from Santana and leaning forward to hug Shelby tightly. I whisper a 'thank you' in her neck before letting go and falling back into Santana's chest.

"I'll walk out with you." Tony tells Shelby before turning back to face me. "Sky is absolutely fine. Babies are resilient, she was scared but she's fine now. Just shower her in the love I know you will and there should be no lasting effects." He tells me with a smile and then hands the baby back to me.

With a few more 'goodbye's all around the two adults made their way out the door.

"Now that the old people are gone, what are we going to do?" Noah asks earning an eye roll from almost everyone in the room.

"Do you want to keep the baby with us or do you want me to put her in her crib?" Santana asks timidly directly into my hair before placing a kiss behind my ear. The simple gesture sends a shiver down my spine.

Just by the way Santana is holding me and the way that she is acting so nervous I can tell that we need to have a discussion about what happened tonight. Preferably tonight.

"Let's bring her up together." I tell her while standing up. She just nods her head and stands up behind me. She looks fearful about what is going to happen upstairs. "We're going to put Skylar down for the night. The remotes to the big screen are on the table and there is a Wii and Xbox Kinect in the cabinet under the TV. Feel free do use whatever you want. Santana and I will join you in a little bit." I tell my guests as we leave the room.

After a moment of thought I double back into the living room and settle a hard glare on Noah "No. Alcohol." I say succinctly.

He gives me an innocent look to say 'I wasn't even thinking about it' but when I turned I saw his shoulders drop. A smirk takes home on my face; I know my friend too well.

I walk back towards Santana who is standing where I had left her. She is shifting nervously from one foot to the other. As I reach her I grab her hand with my free one and lean up and give her a chaste peck on the lips, my way to tell her to calm down. I keep a hold of her hand as we walk up the stairs and into Skylar's room.

Once in the room I put the baby on changing table and keep my hand on her stomach so she won't roll off as I lean down to grab a fresh diaper. When I stand back up Santana comes up behind me and holds on to my hips with her head on my shoulder as I go about changing Sky's diaper.

"You never fed her tonight. She had solid food earlier, but she fell asleep before you could breastfeed her."

"Yeah I actually realized that as soon as the feeding was missed. My body always makes sure that I know when she needs to be fed." I tell her alluding to the fact that if I miss a feeding my boobs feel sore and filled to capacity. "I was planning on just pumping, but since she's up I might as well feed her." I tell her as I pick Sky up off the table and turning in Santana's arms to face her.

"Ok. I'm assuming you wanted to talk, so I'll wait in your room for you to finish. Just meet me there?" She asks.

"If you want, but I was thinking that maybe you could sit with us." I offer shyly.

I never let Santana sit in on a feeding. I absolutely love the connection it gives me with Skylar, and that is part of the reason I never allow it, to keep it to myself, but at the same time I find the action a little embarrassing.

"Are you sure?" the Latina asks surprised.

"If you want. If you're uncomfortable with it, you don't have to." I tell her quickly.

"I would love to." She says with a huge smile, it dims quickly though. "I don't want to disturb her feeding with tension though." She says in a sigh, while pulling away from me.

"Ok, one, I get two minutes, but instead of Skylar cuddles I want me some Santana cuddles. I can have Sky cuddles whenever I want. Two, there will be no tension Santana, at least not from me." I tell her softly, stepping forward to hold onto her hip and kiss her softly.

"One, you can have Santana cuddles whenever you want to." She says with her signature smirk firmly in place. It falls quickly though. "Two, I messed up Rae, it makes sense that you would be mad." She looks down at Skylar and gives a sad smile while running her fingers through the loose ringlets.

"Sit in the rocking chair." I instruct while half-heartedly pointing to the chair.

Once she's seated I move over to her and sit in her lap, off center so she can still see Skylar. I remain silent while I go about getting everything prepped for the feeding. When the infant has latched on, I look up to Santana to continue to speak but stop when I see the look of amazement on my girlfriends face. She is just staring at Sky's face as her little cheeks raise and collapse.

"It's amazing." She breathes out. I just smile at her and then look down at Skylar who is looking up at us while sucking. When she sees that both Santana and I are looking at her she smiles around my nipple before continuing to drink.

"It is. There is nothing more amazing." I state with an equally breathy voice.

We stay silent for a few moments after that, just staring down at the baby. Finally I shake out of the haze that almost always fogs up my head when thinking about how much of a miracle Skylar is.

"Santì, although I would have rather not have had all this happen tonight, it's not your fault that it did. You did not invite him here, he came on his own." I tell her, looking away from the infant and over at her.

"But he would never have been in the house if it weren't for me." She says sadly without meeting my eyes.

"Maybe not, but you don't know for sure. Jesse is a hard head, and rarely takes no for an answer, if he truly wanted to get into this house tonight he would have." I reason trying to make eye contact with her.

Although it's true that her comment had initiated his entering the house, I still don't want her blaming herself for all of this. It was just a series of unfortunate events that culminated in a moment of hysterics.

"Even so, if we hadn't been fighting Skylar would have never woken up. I am the reason he found out." She says in a self-deprecating manner.

I put my finger under her chin and lift her face. I don't speak until she finally makes eye contact with me. I need her to see that this was not her fault. "Santana you were defending me. You weren't just fighting for fighting's sake. You were standing up for me, something none of my other significant others ever did. So, yes it sucked that everything went down the way it did, but it wasn't your fault. Plus if it weren't for you texting everyone, one of us would have probably killed him tonight." I tell her seriously.

I may still be incredibly shaken up by everything that happened tonight, but I have to put that aside when I see Santana blaming herself for all of this.

I see the tears swimming in her eyes as I continue, "Santì, this wasn't on you. You tried your best to make everything turn out ok, but sometimes, bad things happen. At least now we don't have the possibility of Jesse hanging over our heads. We can move forward as a family." I say without thinking.

The moment I realize I just called us a family I instantly slam my mouth shut, and look down at Skylar in embarrassment. I busy myself with switching Skylar over to the other side. Her eyes are already getting heavy, letting me know that she most likely will fall asleep before finishing.

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I look at Rachel completely shocked with joy. I try to dial it back incase she said it on accident and decided to take it back.

"Family?" I ask, tightening my arms around her. "You think of us as a family?"

She doesn't say anything at first; she just continues to stare down at the baby. I start second guessing my question and this entire conversation. She obviously didn't mean to say it; I shouldn't have assumed that she did. It's only been about a month and a half since we started dating and only about two since I found out about Skylar. It's too quick for everything to be happening. I mean, sure I see them as part of my family, but it's totally understandable if Rachel doesn't see me as a part of hers. Right? Rachel finally answering my question cuts my inner ramblings short.

"I- I do yes, but I completely understand if you don't feel the same. It's a lot to take on, a baby and a girlfriend as high-maintenance as me. So- you know what, lets just forget I said anything. Lets just stick with this isn't your fault and be done with it." She says while standing up and fixing her shirt and bra with one hand.

I realize now she was just sitting on my lap essentially shirtless, but because she was nursing a dirty thought never crossed my mind. Strange. I am also impressed by the amount of things she has learned to do one handed, while holding a baby with the other.

"I don't want to forget it happened. I want to be apart of your family." I tell her standing up and walking over to the crib, where she is placing Skylar.

She leans down and places her normal kisses on the babies face and then steps aside and allows me to place mine on her stomach. I stand up straight and raise the bar before guiding Rachel out of the room with my hand on the small of her back.

I can vaguely hear the club, plus Quinn, downstairs laughing. I just hope that they don't wake Sky up, although at this point I'd be surprised if anything woke the baby up tonight. Just to be sure, I hold Rachel back from continuing into her bedroom to make sure that Skylar stays asleep. When I don't hear anything from the other side of the door I continue guiding Rachel to the master suite.

As soon as the door is closed I push Rachel against it and attack her lips with mine. I can't think of any better way of showing her how much she means to me, and how happy I am at the prospect of our formed family.

Rachel responds with vigor and instantly runs her tongue across my bottom lip asking for entrance, which I will always give her. Her left hand snakes around my back fisting my shirt at the small of my back, pulling me impossibly closer to her, as her right hand makes it into my hair. I have both of my hands on her hips, effectively pinning her to the back of the door.

I slowly release her left hip as my right hand creeps up her torso under her shirt. When I reach my destination, I move my hand under her bra and run my thumb over her nipple and she bucks forward into me. I release her mouth and start to trail kisses down her jaw and neck until I reach her pulse point. I suck forcefully against it, loving the feel of her pulse against my tongue, earning a loud moan from Rachel.

I switch from one nipple to the other and again run my finger over it. When I feel liquid on my fingertip I pull back from Rachel's neck and look at her questioningly. Although I am curious about what is going on, I can't help but admire her flushed complexion with her blown out eyes. When she sees the question in my eyes however, the flush turns into a blush and she lowers her head embarrassedly.

"It's breast milk, Sky fell asleep before it was all finished." She said trying to move out from between the door and me, obviously thinking that I would be put off by the liquid.

To prove her wrong I move back to her neck and start to pepper kisses to the skin I find there. I work my way back up to her mouth and kiss her more passionately than before. Nothing this girl can do will make me love her any less. I move my hand out from under her shirt and continue to move it southward. This is definitely not the way I want our first time to happen, but I am still willing to make her feel good over her yoga pants. Although it's not nearly as fun, I think we could still get some enjoyment out of it. When she lets my hand continue down, I smirk into the kiss. It disappears though when I feel her hand leave the back of my shirt and start to mimic my hands path. When we are both only inches away from where we want to be, there is a knock on the door behind Rachel.

"Guys, they sent me up to tell you to stop fighting, or having sexy times, whichever you were doing. Although I didn't hear fighting and there was a thud on the door a few minutes ago so I'm thinking you're probably having sexy times." Brittany rambles off.

What the hell? How long has she been standing there listening to us if she heard a bang?

"Anyways, they told me to come get you and tell you to come join the party. We're playing Dance Central!" She says excitedly, yet still in a low voice obviously being mindful of the sleeping baby.

Rachel lets out a huff and rolls her head to rest on my shoulder.

"Alright Britt, we'll be down in a minute." She says in a semi-irritated voice. I can't help but smile at seeing her sexually frustrated like this.

"Q told me not to let you make me go away because you'll just continue whatever you were doing and never come join us. I really want to dance with you Rachie." I can hear the pout through the door. I know that Rachel can too because she lets out a sigh and pulls back.

"We're never going to be able to finish what we start, are we?" She asks in an over exaggerated whine complete with a pout.

I kiss the pouted lip and smile at her. "It's probably better anyway, I want our first time to be memorable. I don't want to taint it with something like a quickie up against the door." I say with a wink as I pull back from her.

"It technically wouldn't have been a quickie. We weren't actually going to be having sex." She pouts.

"Sorry babe." I tell her with a smile and a quick peck.

I pull back completely and pull her away from the door so it could be opened. Brittany was standing on the other side with a huge knowing smirk on her face.

"Sorry I had to interrupt." She said with little to no sympathy or empathy in her voice. Totally not sorry.

"Yeah whatever." Rachel grumbled but instantly started backtracking when Brittany's pout returned. "I'm sorry Britt, I'm just… frustrated." She tells the blonde and the knowing smirk returns to B's face.

"Lets go!" She says excitedly, momentarily forgetting about Skylar.

As soon as she remembered she cringes and we all turn towards the baby's door to see if she was woken up. After a moment of not hearing anything we surmise that she is still sleeping and make our way downstairs.

Once we enter the living room everyone turns to us and half of them frown while the other half cheer. What the hell?

"Pay up losers!" Puck screams towards Mike and Quinn, who both dig into their pockets and pull out a five-dollar bill each.

"What's going on?" Rachel asks.

"Half of them thought you were fighting and half thought you were having sexy times. So they bet on it." Brittany answers nonchalantly as she flounces into the room and sits on the couch pulling Quinn down with her. I'll have to keep an eye on that.

I look around to the others in the room with a look of disbelief. Who bets on something like that?

"I knew that this would bond you two together rather than break you apart." Tina says with a shrug, completely not caring about what they did.

I look at Puck next who also just shrugs, "I know my best friends, you were clearly going at it." He laughs out.

"Tina made me." Mike answers in turn. I couldn't help but make the whipping sound at him, causing everyone to laugh at his expense; he took it in stride though.

"I didn't think Rachel would give it up so easily." Quinn says last with a smug smile on her face.

Everyone stops laughing and just stares at her. Did she really just call Rachel easy? She was doing so well too, but I guess she really can't just be a decent person for long. Brittany looks over at Quinn with a disapproving look and stands up and moves over to the lazy boy and sits on Puck's lap.

"Honestly Q, I think you should leave." I tell her.

"I'm sorry, that came out way worse than I meant it. I didn't mean to make it sound like that I'm sorry!" She apologizes. "I'm trying here. I am, but old habits die hard." She says sadly while standing up and looking around for her stuff.

"Quinn you don't have to leave. It's fine, if you say that you didn't mean it like that then I believe you. We are all trying to have a good time tonight, lets just forget about it." Rachel speaks up.

I don't like it. Rachel has already had a hard enough night; she shouldn't have to deal with Quinn's bitchy comments too. I can see that Rachel is adamant about giving Q another chance though so I let it go.

"No it's cool. I should learn to keep my mouth shut." The ex-Cheerio states, obviously beating herself up over her comment.

"What did you mean to say?" I ask, giving her a chance to prove herself.

The blonde lets out a small sign and meets my eye, "I meant it more as a comment that I didn't think that she would want to do anything with a house full of people. I wasn't even judging, just – I don't know. I'll just go. I really am sorry."

I know she is trying, it's obvious, but she really has to watch what she says. Especially after tonight, Rachel is fragile, even if the diva doesn't think that she is.

"It's cool Q, Rae said you can stay. Just think before you speak next time." I tell her in a warning tone.

"I heard there was going to be some Dance Central happening." Rachel says, changing the subject.

Everyone cheers as Puck and Mike start setting up the game. Rachel and Brittany go first since the dancer always gets her way. They were amazing, but halfway through the song they decided to add weird things in to make it funny. By the end of the song everyone was cracking up so much it hurt.

We continue playing until everyone gets a turn and then decide to put the game away.

"What now?" Brittany asks excitedly.

"Rach it's your house, you choose the next game." Tina says from where she is laying on the floor tiredly from just dancing.

"Truth or dare?" She offers up, earning cheers from everyone.

"And what happens if someone lies or doesn't do a dare? Without alcohol it will be difficult to govern." Pucks says. I just roll my eyes at him, because truth or dare was around way before it became a drinking game.

"Naked lap?" Mike asks. We all look around unsurely before everyone nods their assent.

Let the games begin.

"Rae starts since it's her house." I tell everyone in a voice that tells them not to argue.

"Ok. Noah truth or dare?" Smart move starting with the boy with no boundaries; it helps get the game started off in a fun way rather than awkward. I smile at Rachel proudly because my girl is a genus.

"Truth."

"Wimp." I cough and he just gives me the finger without looking away from Rachel.

"Who is the last girl you slept with?" Rachel asks, going straight for the dirt right away. Damn, we have been spending way too much time together because that is exactly what I would do.

"Missy Frye, it was under the bleachers during a Cheerios break last week." He says with a proud smile.

"Dude you pulled one out in the amount of time the Cheerios have a break, don't be too proud of yourself." Mike jokes earning a punch to the arm by Puck and laughter from everyone else.

"That's why Missy was late? We got twenty laps for that!" Brittany yells, uncharacteristically irritated. Those laps were a pain.

"Sorry." Puck says with a shrug. "Anyway, Tina, truth or dare?" Puck asks and Tina for her part looks nervous.

"Dare?" It was more of a question than a statement.

"Stupid." I tell her with a nod; her shoulders tense. No one takes a dare from Puck.

"I dare you to call a 900 number and stay on the line for a minute." Puck says with a wicked smirk on his face.

"You paying?" Tina asks without hesitation. Color me impressed.

Once Puck nods, Tina whips out her phone and holds her hand out for Pucks credit card. She stays on the line for one minute and in that time she manages to turn a shade of red I didn't even think was possible. She looked a little bit like a tomato. Once the one-minute mark hit she quickly shut her phone and shifted uncomfortably.

"Santana, truth or dare?" She asks without making eye contact with anyone.

I let out a little chuckle at her awkwardness before answering, "Dare." I say with smugness in Puck's direction.

"I dare you to call a random number in your phone and act as if you were talking to Rachel." Tina says "All cutesy and crap." She finishes. Everyone laughs and Rachel's can be heard above all of them. I am happy that this is helping to make Rachel happy.

I roll my eyes at the dare, this can seriously impact my reputation, but I'm also not doing a naked lap. I take out my phone and hit a random key and put the phone to my ear without even looking at who I called.

As soon as the person answered the phone I started talking, not letting them even say 'hello'.

"Hey baby girl, how are you doing? I didn't want to go to bed without telling you how much I love you." I was going to leave it there, but I really didn't want to completely shoot my rep out of the water so decided to add to it in hopes of salvaging a sliver of my badassery. I know I'm going to get chastised for this but it's worth it, especially if she laughs at this. "You know I can't wait until I see you tomorrow so I can see how long it takes me to kiss every inch of that tight body of yours. Especially –"

"Santana I'm going to stop you now. Either you're talking about my daughter or you're cheating on her, either way I don't want to hear the end of that sentence." I hear Shelby tell me. I instantly turn deep red and look at the caller ID on my phone even though it is clearly Shelby that I called. Rachel looks over my shoulder to look at who I called and she gasps and smacks my shoulder before grabbing the phone from my hand.

"Hey Shelby, sorry about that, we're just playing a game and Santana was goofing off. Sorry to have woken you up." By this point everyone in the room was dying from laughter expect Rachel and me.

"Ok. Yeah. I promise everyone else is here. No. Nothing is going to happen with everyone here Shelby!" Rachel squeaks out and shoots me another glare and I shoot one to Puck when he snorts at the comment since we kind of were going at it earlier despite the houseful of people. "Fine. Goodbye." She says into the speaker and then hangs up.

"Seriously you didn't look at who you called first!" She playfully chastises.

"I'm sorry, she said random so I figured that it would ruin it if I looked." I chuckle out.

"Laugh all you want, you're now having a sex talk with my mother tomorrow before the dinner." I instantly snap my mouth shut. What?

"Don't look at me like that Santì this was your doing. Yours and Tina's." She sends a playful glare at Tina.

"You're joking right?" Please be joking.

"Nope, I wish I were. Actually no I don't." She laughs out and throws me my phone.

"Your choice baby." Rachel says in a sickly sweet tone. She is so dead! She just signed me up for a sex talk with her mother!

"Brittany, truth or dare?" I ask without taking my disbelieving eyes off of Rachel.

"Dare!" the blonde answers.

I get my head back into the game because I really want to see how this turns out. "I dare you to make out with Quinn." I tell her.

She bounces in her seat and moves over to where Quinn is sitting. Before Quinn can even fully figure out what is going on Brittany is attacking her lips. This doesn't really prove anything since Brittany doesn't have any qualms about kissing anyone. What is more telling though is how quickly Quinn kisses back and moves to deepen the kiss. Interesting. We all watch for about a minute before Brittany fully climbs onto Quinn's lap. Alrighty then.

"Alright guys we get it." Mike laughs out. Making Quinn pull away from Brittany and turn bright red.

"Dude, you _never_ interrupt girl on girl action!" Puck yells at him.

"You interrupted Santana and I an hour ago!" Rachel yells.

"That's because you weren't doing it in front of me." Puck answers nonchalantly, earning an eye roll from Rachel.

Brittany than climbs off of Quinn's lap and moves over to her original seat. Quinn looks frazzled and won't meet anyone's eyes. I think it's time for Quinn and I to have a little talk.

Brittany looks around the circle deciding who to choose. "Mike! Truth or dare?"

"Dare." Mike says bravely even though the doubt is evident on his face.

"I dare you do drink Rachie's breast milk!"

"What?" Mike, Rachel and I all scream at the same time. What the hell is she thinking!

"I saw some in the fridge when I was getting a soda!" She says pleased with herself.

Rachel blushes bright red. "Brittany I don't think that's such a great idea. Like at all." She tells the girl as softly as she can with her voice an octave higher than it normally is.

"But the rules say I can give him any dare I want." She argues with a pout. She's playing dirty and she knows it; no one can say no to that pout.

"I don't think it's something I'm comfortable with Britt-Britt. I'm sorry." Wow this night has really surprised me. I never thought I'd see anyone stick to their guns when Brittany pulls out her infamous pout.

"Fine." She pouts some more but it instantly disappears and is replaced with an evil smirk. This is going to be good. "I dare you to kiss Puckerman." She says evilly.

Everyone loses it besides Puck and Mike who try to deny it. "You can't say no, Rachel can because it's her house." I inform them and they both shoot me glares, which I just brush off.

They both lean forward quickly and peck on the lips before pulling back and wiping their mouths.

"Nope! Needs to be longer!" I scream and both boys look at me with evil glares.

"Babe leave them alone, they are fine." Rachel tells me with a playfully stern look.

"Fine." I mumble and pout.

Both Mike and Tina thinly fail a 'whipped' with cough. I send them both glares and Tina looks down at her hands and Mike moved on.

"Quinn, truth or dare?" Mike says quickly.

"Truth." Q says quickly.

"Why did you really get back with Finn?" Mike asks, peeking the interest of everyone in the circle.

"To regain popularity," she says obviously, "and to hide from myself." She mumbles as if it were an after thought, although it clearly wasn't.

"Rachel, truth or dare?" I can tell by her eyes that she is using this to get back at me for my dare.

"Truth" Rachel answers as if she can read my mind. That's my girl.

"Who was the first person you made out with?" Quinn asks. Huh, interesting question.

"Noah." Rae answers shyly, while Puck gets a smug triumphant smile on his face.

"What?" I ask astonished at never knowing this.

"I told you we used to be friends." She answers with a shrug. I just humph while crossing my arms with a scowl on my face. "You can't possibly be jealous. We were thirteen!" She says with a laugh. I finally relent when she kisses me quickly.

The rest of the game lasts another few rounds before we all decide to call it a night. We all help Rachel bring down extra blankets and pillows and set them up in the living room. We decide to sit with them and talk for a little while before we go to sleep in Rachel's room, since we need to sleep near Sky's monitor, and don't want everyone have to wake up with Skylar in the morning.

Before we head upstairs we make sure that everyone is ok. Brittany is laying on the end, looking perturbed that Quinn made sure to get the other end, as far away from her as possible, but besides that everyone looks content. We say one last goodnight before dragging ourselves up to the bedroom and falling into bed. The day's and night's events having warn us out completely.

After lying there sprawled out on top of the bed for a few moments I crawl under the covers and lift them up a little next to me so that Rachel can climb in too. When she does she lays her head on my chest and looks up into my eyes. She just stays like that for a little while, just staring at me.

"What?" I ask after a few more moments of it.

"You're truly amazing. You know that?" She asks just above a whisper with the most adorable little smile on her face.

"I didn't even really do anything. If anything you're the amazing one." I tell her reaching up and moving a piece of hair out of her face and hooking it behind her ear.

"If it weren't for you, none of those people down there would be my friends. It would just be Skylar and I. Alone." She tells me.

"What are you talking about?" I ask her playing with the ends of her hair.

"If you wouldn't have stuck up for me in glee on my first day back, none of those people would have given me a second thought. If you had not chosen to love me I would still be the introverted girl that I had grown into. I would still be afraid of the world. If what happened tonight would have happened before… I honestly don't know what I would have done. I would have been terrified Santana, more terrified than I was today. But I wasn't, and that's because of you. Because of everything you've taught me and all the love you've shown me." She says unwaveringly. There is so much passion in her voice that tears spring to my eyes.

"I didn't have a choice in loving you Rachel. You showed me what it meant to love someone." I tell her as I lean forward and connect our lips. "I love you with all my heart Rachel Barbra Berry." I tell her after pulling back and looking into those beautiful brown eyes that I could easily get lost in.

"I love you too Santana Christina Lopez. So very much." She responds as she leans down and kisses me again, with more force this time.

We kiss for a little while longer, it doesn't go farther than that. It is just us, being with each other, and showing our love. When Rachel finally falls asleep, she is snuggled tightly into my body with my arms firmly holding her in place. With the love of my life in my arms, I breathe out a sigh of contentment and fall asleep.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! The next chapter will probably be fluff filled also because i think the characters need a bit of a break from the drama<strong>

**Please let me know what you think and review! It makes my day :)**


	25. Chapter 25

**I am realizing now that my semester is coming to a close and I am getting ready to move back home and start work again, I may not be able to keep up with once a day updates anymore. I thought that the summer would be easier but apparently I was wrong. I am really going to try my best, but I may end up falling back onto updates every other day unless I am able to get a few chapters ahead in the next few days. It is possible, but I'm not sure how likely it is. I will keep you guys updated on the progress :)**

**This chapter is very fluffy.. the one after this will be as well.. And it is mostly in Santana's POV, I wanted to concentrate a little more on the Quitt pairing just to answer some of the questions I've been getting and Santana's POV seemed easiest :)**

**Thank you all for the Reviews, Alerts, and Favorites they are seriously amazing and I love you all for them :D**

**Huge thanks to my amazing beta GE0309! You're awesome and I couldn't do this without you!**

**Disclaimer: Not sure how necessary this anymore, but I don't own glee or anything else I am using in this fic :/**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 25<strong>_

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I woke up to hearing crying and whimpering coming from over the baby monitor. At first I assume in my sleepiness that it's Rachel, but then my brain registers that Rachel is still asleep in my arms. I grab the monitor and turn down the volume and bring it to my ear, so that I can hear what is happening but allow Rachel to sleep in a little.

"Don't cry Skylar, you're alright. Don't cry." I hear Brittany desperately trying to calm the little girl down. Usually whenever someone picks Sky up in the morning she will stop crying. I hope that everything is ok.

I disentangle myself carefully from behind Rachel, taking extra care not to wake her. I shut off the monitor and quickly make my way down the hall to the nursery. When I open the door I understand why Skylar hasn't stopped crying yet. Brittany is kneeling in front of the crib talking to the infant through the bars as the baby is sitting up crying while reaching for the blonde. When Sky sees me enter the room she raises her arms for me.

"What are you doing in here?" I ask the blonde. "Did she wake you?"

"No I got up early and heard her start to whimper. I wanted to help, but didn't know how to make her stop crying." She says looking sad.

"She would have stopped crying if you would have just lifted her from the crib Britt-Britt." I tell her while placing the baby on the changing table.

"But I can't hold her." She tells me as if I'm dumb for not knowing that.

"What are you talking about?" I ask looking at her while bending down to pick up a new diaper, keeping my hand on the baby's stomach the entire time. "You want to go through those drawers and pick out her outfit for today?" I ask.

Brittany nods enthusiastically and starts going through the drawers. "She's too tiny, I can't hold her. I'll hurt her." She tells me as she continues to rummage through the drawers looking for the cutest outfit.

"B you'd be fine."

"Nu-uh. I totally drop her and then Rachel wouldn't let me around anymore. I'll just admire her from afar." She tells me. Holding out a cute pink ruffled shirt and a pair of matching jeans.

"Alright, well why don't we try to start off small." I tell her as I finish dressing the baby.

"Sit down in the rocking chair and you can hold her while sitting down, that way you can't drop her. You can build up your confidence from there. How does that sound?" I ask. If she doesn't feel confident holding the baby, that's fine I'm not going to force her, but I also don't want her to think she can't possibly do it.

"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt her. She is really, super tiny." The tall blonde asks while looking at me unsurely.

"Honestly, I was nervous the first time to Britt-Britt. And she was just born so she was like ten times smaller. You will be fine." Rachel says announcing her presence from the doorway where she is leaning on the doorframe.

"I tried not to wake you. I figured it would be nice for you to get to sleep in for once." I tell her while going over to give her a kiss. She accepts the kiss and the little girl in my arms who is reaching for her.

"You didn't wake me, the lack of your body heat did followed by the lack of sound coming from the monitor. Plus my body has a internal feeding clock set." She explains with a shrug while going over to where Brittany is waiting patiently in the rocking chair.

Rachel gets on her knees in front of Brittany and settles Skylar in the blonde's arms. Skylar looks up at Britt and gives her a huge grin showing off her few tiny baby teeth. The baby then reaches up and grabs some of Brittany's long hair and wraps it around her fingers.

"Ow!" Brittany pouts while using her free hand to disentangle her hair from Skylar's grasp. "That is not very nice." She playfully chastises, making a silly 'serious' face. Skylar loves it and starts cracking up and turns her head shyly into the dancer's chest.

"She's so snuggly!" Brittany exclaims.

"Yeah she's a cuddle monster." I laugh and Skylar tries to sit up on Britt's lap. "Just like her mom." I add causing Rachel to blush.

Once Skylar is sitting up she faces Brittany and smacks her hands on either side of the blonde's face. Every time the little hands connect with her cheeks, B makes a new funny face, which only encourages Skylar to do it more.

"Careful Princess, don't hurt her." Rachel tells the baby as she gets off her knees and wipes the imaginary dirt off her pajama pants.

We stay in here for a little while longer before Skylar starts to fuss, clearly done playing and ready to be fed.

"Why don't B and I go downstairs and start to make breakfast for everyone and you can feed the little princesa." I offer after giving Rachel a quick peck.

"Sounds good to me. There's a whole bunch of bacon in the fridge and pancakes and waffles also. Make whatever you think will be good for everyone." She tells me as she takes Brittany's place in the rocking chair.

I'm a little sad that I can't watch her breastfeed again, but I really don't want to impose on their special time, nor do I want to leave Brittany alone in the kitchen to make breakfast. Britt is actually a pretty good cook, but she has a tendency to overdo it when it comes to breakfast; she puts about twice as much sugar in everything then necessary. Hence why she is always so hyper.

With a kiss to the top of both my favorite girls' heads I made my way out of the nursery with Brittany. When we get downstairs we see that Puck and Chang Squared are still sleeping, but Quinn is nowhere to be found. I really hope that she didn't just leave because that will break Brittany's heart.

"Where's Q?" Brittany asks in a sad voice. "Did I scare her off? I thought she was ok with it, she seemed to like it." The pout on my best friends lips makes me want to slap Quinn.

"I'm right here." We hear from behind us. We spin around to see Quinn looking around nervously. "I had to pee. I didn't leave." She tells us awkwardly.

"Yay! Lets go cook!" Brittany yells excitedly skipping into the kitchen, effectively waking the other three occupants in the room.

"I think we need to have a talk Q." I tell her softly. I don't want to push her, but I also don't want her to go and hurt Britt. She just nods her understanding. "Alright, lets go help B cook before we all end up getting cavities from whatever she decides on." I joke trying to lighten the mood.

Once upon a time I used to be as close to Quinn as I am to Brittany, but everything went wrong. That doesn't necessarily mean that I don't want her in my life anymore. I really do, but I need to look out for Brittany above all else, well except for Skylar and Rachel. I will be there for Quinn if and when she needs me, but I will always be there for Britt first. It may sound bad, but that's the way things are.

Once we get into the kitchen we see Brittany has already taken out what she needs for our meal.

"Bacon!" Quinn asks excitedly. "I thought Rachel was vegan and Jewish!" She says picking up the packages of bacon as if she thought they were a mirage or something.

"She had to start eating meet again when she got pregnant. How have you never noticed her eating meet and dairy at lunch? As for the Jewish part, she doesn't technically eat bacon; this is more for me than her. Although I've been trying to cut back too since I feel rude eating something she can't."

"Whatever! I'll take it off your hands." Quinn says with one of the biggest smiles I've seen on her face in a while. It's nice to have everyone who means something to me happy.

"I'll start making this. Can you supervise B's measurements please, I don't want to be eating pure sugar again." I tell her with a fake shudder making her laugh and nod her head. When she turns to walk over to the taller blonde, she looks nervous but walks over nonetheless.

"Things smell good down here." Rachel says as she enters the room with Skylar on her hip. "Why are the other three still laying on the floor mumbling about UST and yelling?" She asks with a giggle.

"I'll explain later, I tell her looking back over to the two blondes who are currently throwing flour at each other.

"I think I got it." She laughs out as the other three finally make their way into the kitchen all looking tired and irritated.

"Give me that baby," Tina says grumpily as she grabs Sky out of her mother's arms.

"Geez crabby much? I didn't wake you up." Rachel protests playfully as she giggles.

"Whatever. I'm tired and the baby is the only thing that will make me feel better." She says trying to hide her smile and remain serious.

"Great, and what am I here for?" Mike jokes coming up behind his girlfriend and making funny faces at Skylar.

"We all know what you're around for Mike." I joke at him making him blush red.

"Are you hungry cutie?" Mike asks the little girl in his girlfriend's arms, trying to avoid my comment.

"Leave them alone." She tells me playfully before addressing the Asian duo. "You guys can try to feed her if you want, fair warning that she may not actually eat any of it, but you can try if you want." Rae offers Chang Squared who both look ecstatic to give it a shot.

I can't help the smirk that spills onto my face and see that Rachel is having just as much trouble. There is no way that Skylar is going to eat for them; she just started eating for me for god's sake. Without saying another word, Rachel opens up the baby food cabinet and pulls out strawberry banana baby food before plucking a spoon from the drawer and handing everything to Mike while Tina attempts to put Skylar in the highchair.

I turn the bacon off so that I can enjoy the show without worrying about the house burning down, while Rachel gets the other three occupants of the room to watch as well.

It starts out better than I thought, Skylar allows herself to be lowered into the chair with only a small fight. At first I thought that the baby was going to prove us wrong, but as soon as Tina sits down in the seat in front of the chair, Skylar starts to whine. Nope, this was going to be fun.

Mike opens up the package as Tina tries to calm the already distressed baby. As soon as the spoon is in the food, Skylar stops crying and looks curiously at the couple. Mike gives a triumphant smile, thinking that they had won. He takes the spoon out of the food and hands it to his girlfriend since she is sitting right in front of the baby. When Tina tries to put the spoon in the baby's mouth Skylar moves her head to avoid the spoon. They continue the little dance until Tina finally outsmarts the baby and manages to get the spoon to its destination.

With a huge smile Tina hands the spoon back to Mike and turns to look up at her boyfriend, completely missing the baby spitting the food back into her hand and reaching for Tina. When the gothic girl leans forward to laugh at something Mike must have said, not a one of us paying attention to what the couple is talking about, Skylar takes that as an opportunity to put the food into the girl's hair. Puck makes a sound of disgust and both blondes scrunch their faces up to show similar repugnance, while Rachel and me try to hold back our giggles.

"Ew!" Tina yells as she realizes what just happened.

Mike quickly deposits the food onto the baby tray in order to help his girlfriend get the food out of her hair. I look to Rachel to see if she thought we should stop the massacre before it had a chance to really happen. Before we could decide though, Skylar puts her hand into the container of food and quickly tosses the handful at the pair attempting to feed her.

"AH!" they both yell, and all five of us watching completely lose it. We can't help it; it's hilarious to see their faces of pure disbelief and horror. They look down at themselves as Skylar loads up to throw some more. Before the duo can respond Skylar launches another handful.

Both Rachel and I try to reign in our laughter and try to help Mike and Tina, but before we can reach them, Skylar had already thrown a third, slightly smaller, handful. When we reach them Rachel grabs the food off the tray and out of Skylar reach.

"You did not tell us she was the devil when she eats!" Tina exclaims.

We both start giggling again while the other three just laugh harder.

"She doesn't like being fed by anyone but Rachel. She will allow the babysitter and my dad, and she tolerates me but she prefers Rachel." I giggle out.

"You couldn't tell us that before!" Mike yells, I can tell that he's not really mad though.

"This seemed to be the more fun way for you to find out." Rachel says with a giggle.

"Fun for who?" Tina asks with a pout. Following her question Rachel, Quinn, Puck, Brittany, and I raise our hands. Mike and Tina just huff and roll their eyes with smiles.

"You guys can shower if you want, there's a guest bathroom on both floors with towels under the sinks." Rae tells them.

"Or we could just conserve water and shower together." Tina says with a wink.

"Yeah, you're not having sex in any of my showers." Rachel says seriously causing everyone to giggle at her.

When Chang Squared go to shower and Rachel went to give Skylar a bath, the rest of us start finishing making breakfast.

Once everyone was finished getting cleaned up we all gather around the table and start chowing down, Skylar being fed by Rachel intermittently through out.

"What is our plan for before dinner? Are we spending the day together or are we just meeting up later?" Puck asks when we are cleaning up the dishes.

"Why don't we go out and do something." Rachel offers. I stop drying the dish I'm currently working on and stare at her. We never leave the house, not with Skylar anyway.

"What? The entire school already knows about her which means most of the town does. Now that Jesse's reaction isn't hanging over my head, I think it's high time that we get the hell out of this house." Rachel explains.

I just smile at her and nod my head. I lean over and give her a light kiss before going back to the dish I was working on.

"Did you guys bring clothes for today or do you all need to go home and change?" I ask.

"I think we all brought clothes, but can those of us who haven't showered use your showers Rach?" Puck asks, giving a chuckle at the thought of Tina and Mike's feeding mishap earlier.

"Yeah, go ahead." She tells them as she dries off her hands and moves over to where Skylar is playing in her playpen. "Would you guys mind watching Sky while I jump in the shower after though?" She asks shyly.

"Of course not." Tina says with a smile. "As long as you don't ask us to feed her." She adds with a roll of the eyes.

It's not until around noon when we are finally all ready to go; we decide to head to the mall to just goof off and window shop.

"Hey I'm going to drive with Quinn if that's ok." I tell Rae, who pouts, looking hurt by me not wanting to go with her. This seems like the best time to talk to her though.

"I'll drive with Q!" Brittany screams and starts making her way over to where Quinn is standing.

"B why don't you drive with Rachel." I tell her.

I can't have Britt in the car for this. Brittany halts her movement and looks at me with a pout to match Rachel's. Great now I've made both of them upset. Skylar just has to add to my misery as she looks up at her mother and then over to Brittany and adds her own pout into the mix. I roll my eyes and move over to where Rachel is holding Skylar.

"I would rather drive with you babe, but I need to have a talk with Quinn. I can't have her hurting B and I need her to know that." I tell her quietly so that only she can hear. Luckily she seems to understand because her pout disappears and she nods her acceptance.

"Come on Britt-Britt, we can sing Disney songs to Sky in the car!" Rachel says excitedly.

I know that she is trying to amp up her excitement to make Brittany agree, but I can tell that she is actually thrilled about the prospect as well. I giggle at their combined excitement as Rachel climbs into the back seat to strap Skylar in. Puck, Mike, and Tina pile into Mike's car.

"Lets go Q." I tell her looping my arm through hers and making my way to her car. There are a few minutes of silence while we both try to collect our thoughts.

"What's going on inside that brain of yours Q?" I finally ask.

She exhales loudly and holds onto the steering wheel tighter. "I wish I knew." She says quietly.

"Do you like Brittany?" I ask her softly. I know this is hard for any normal person, but with Quinn it's twenty times harder. She was not brought up to accept herself; she was brought up to pretend to be what others accept.

She is silent for over a minute. "Yes." She finally says simply, I can tell she's still trying to work through something in her mind though so I keep quiet.

"She's perfect you know. She's enthusiastic and happy all the time to the point that it's contagious, but fiercely protective when need be. She loves wholeheartedly and forgives no questions asked. She's just perfect." She explains in a soft caring tone that is accompanied by a soft smile. One of the ones I get when thinking about Rachel and Skylar. That look quickly disappears though as she thinks farther into this. "That scares me you know. I'm not perfect, I'm damaged and self-centered and I'll take advantage of her forgiveness and her love without even meaning to. I refuse to be that person to her. It's easier to just ignore the feelings and let them go away." She says with conviction.

It's crazy how similar Quinn and I are. Her feelings for the blonde are really similar to what I was trying to ignore about my feelings with Rachel before Brittany solidified it for me.

"How long have you been ignoring them in hopes that they would magically disappear?" I ask her gently, having a feeling that this is going to solidify our similarity.

"Since eighth grade when Tommy Jackson broke up with me and she told me that even though I'm beautiful, that's not all I am." She says with a smile.

I've been friends with the dancer since fifth grade, ever since I saved her from a bully. We met Quinn in seventh grade when she first transferred to our middle school. I hated her at first, but Brittany took a strange liking to her and insisted that I befriend her. Quinn was always trying to walk a fine line between what her father wanted and what she wanted, though she usually stayed on her father's side. So much so that she allowed herself to get a nose job to please him.

Tommy Jackson had broken up with Quinn saying that she wasn't worth the arm candy. She was heart broken, not wanting to be known as the gorgeous girl with no brains or personality. I think that's actually why she ended up becoming such a bitch once we got to McKinley, to shove her huge personality in everyone's faces.

"That's quite a while with no results." I tell her.

"You're telling me." She sighs.

"Ever thought that maybe it's time to try something else?" I ask her. She spares me a half-second glance before returning her eyes to the road.

"No. I already explained that I'm not good enough. Plus I am not ready for the talk or questions. If that were to happen, people would ask questions that I'm not sure I know the answers to." She tells me quickly.

I know how that is, still being unsure about your feelings, your sexuality. Although I always knew I was gay, it was more about admitting it to myself.

"Alright here's the deal Q. I get where you're coming from, I do, but I can't let B get hurt and I don't think you want that either. So you need to make a decision: keep hiding like a little pussy or finally allow yourself to be happy. I know you think that you're not good enough for Brittany, but apparently she thinks you are. Shouldn't that be all that matters, that the one that matters thinks you're good enough? Either way though, you are going to have a talk with B and explain your choice to her. She deserves that much, and without it she will be hurt and confused and I refuse to see that. Got it?" I tell her sternly.

"I got it." She tells me seriously as she continues to stare out the front window watching traffic pass us. I can tell that she is already weighing her options; I just hope that she decides to not be an idiot.

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

"And she's so amazing Rach! She is so strong and awesome and she never calls me stupid!" Brittany continues to go on about all of Quinn's good attributes. Since she has been going on about it since we left my house, she is actually starting to repeat herself.

"You're not stupid Britt-Britt, you just see everything differently than everyone else. That's not a bad thing, I think we could all afford to see things differently more often." I tell her trying to nip the 'stupid' thing in the butt right here and now, though I know that Santì has been working on that for years and it hasn't really worked.

"Whatever. But I don't think that she'll even be with me Rachel. I know she likes me, I can feel it. She's worried that she's not good enough for me, that she'll ruin me. I don't know how to show her that she can only make me better." She tells me in a defeated tone.

"I think it also has to do with Quinn's fear of coming out Britt-Britt." I tell her softly.

"I know it is, but that's not easy to crack either. Will she ever want to be with me?" She asks in a little voice.

"I think that's her biggest problem right now honestly. That she wants to be with you but doesn't know how to go about it." I tell her hoping that it makes her feel better. She stays quiet, contemplating her options. I let her have her quiet and remain silent as well.

"I've got an idea!" She screams randomly a few minutes later. This causes Skylar to let out a squeal also, to let us know that she is still there and wants to be included in the conversation.

"Ok, what's your plan then? And how can I help?" I ask her, getting excited to put my conniving to good use.

"It's a secret and I don't think I need your help this time." She says bouncing in her seat.

My excitement disappears and a pout forms on my lips. I never get to use my devious side anymore.

When we get to the mall, Brittany leans over and kisses my cheek quickly before opening the door and hurrying off into the building. Well I guess we lost her for right now.

I go about getting Skylar out of the car. I am just placing her in the stroller when Quinn's car pulls up next to us and Santana gets out. Quinn just sits in the driver side, holding onto the wheel and staring straight ahead. My guess is their talk either went well or really badly.

I had just finished strapping the baby into the stroller when Santana walks around the front of it and Skylar raises her arms to be held by the Latina. I let out a huff and stand up, allowing my girlfriend to fight with the harness or be the bad guy and tell Skylar no. Of course Santana bends down and starts working with the clips and buttons, and of course she has no problem with any of it. Stupid stroller.

"Should we still bring the stroller or are you going to want to hold her the entire time?" I ask, a little annoyed that the baby let me place her in the stroller but as soon as the cheerleader showed up she wanted to be held. Why didn't she want to be held by me?

"I'm sure that we can find someone to want to hold her at all times, but why don't you bring the stroller just incase. Until we need to put her in it we can use it as a bag carrier." She answers.

I nod my assent and start to push the chair, completely forgetting that Quinn is still sitting in her car. I am only reminded when I hear her car door open and her running up to us.

"Where's B?" She asks suddenly.

"She ran ahead as soon as we got here. She didn't tell me where she was going." I tell the shorter blonde. She just nods with determination in her eyes before she too runs off and into the mall.

"What the hell was that?" Santana asks with furrowed brows.

"One: watch your mouth, you're literally holding Skylar right in front of it. Two: I told her that a certain tall blonde ran ahead and did the same." I say with a knowing smile, which Santana returns.

"I hope Q gets her shi—stuff together, I think they could be cute together." She tells me leaning in to give me a kiss hello, since she basically ignored me in favor of Skylar when she first got here.

"Wow HBIC Santana Lopez just said something could be cute. Who knew you were a softy?" I joke and she just rolls her eyes and pokes my side. Yep, soft.

We make our way into the mall and over to the food court where Noah, Mike and Tina told us to meet them since they had parked in a different lot. Skylar is looking around with wide excited eyes as she sees all the people and takes in her new environment. She is babbling away with a huge smile on her face. She really does love getting out and going to new places. Come to think of it, so do it. I have been just as much of a shut in as she has, it feels nice to get out and have some fun.

We just spend an hour fooling around and going from store to store. We all take turns passing Skylar from one of us to another. Right now, Santana and I both have one of her hands as she slowly brings one foot in front of the other, slowly but surely moving along, with mine and Santana's help of course. The other three decided to go into a store a few up to look for something and we decided to just hang back until they are finished.

"You know, it always seems so cool to have a baby start walking. Then they do and you wish you could slow them down again." I hear from behind us and turn around to see Shelby pushing a stroller with a smiley Beth in it a few feet back. I smile at both of them and hoist Skylar off the ground and into my arms.

"SKY!" Beth squeals once she sees the little girl in my arms.

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask once I'm closer to them.

I pause in front of her not knowing what our protocol is at this point. We have been getting closer lately, but I still feel awkward in situations like these when I don't know what she expects of me. I wouldn't be adverse to a hug, but I also don't know how to go about initiating it without it being awkward. Luckily she makes the decision and pulls me into a hug being mindful of the baby.

"Figured we'd waste some time before dinner. This place seemed like a better place then any. Seems like you guys had the same thought." She tells me as she starts to pull back from the hug.

"Yeah, figured we'd get out of the house since I have basically been a shut in for so long." I joke with her.

"SKY!" Beth squeals again, and both Shelby and I look up to see that Santana is now holding a very squirmy Beth in her arms.

"Sorry, I apparently have a really hard time saying no when a little cutie asks me to hold her." Santana says sheepishly.

"It's alright, there was no way I was going to keep her in there now that she saw her newest best friend." Shelby says.

"Sky, mall!" Beth says as she leans forward in Santana's arms and wraps her arms around my neck, effectively forcing me to grab her with my free arm.

"Beth! You don't just force yourself into someone's arms, especially when she is already holding someone!" Shelby chastises the little girl.

Beth's bottom lip starts to quiver. "Mommy. Sky. " She tries to explain why she was so overexcited. I seriously don't know if she can get any cuter.

When Shelby's stern look doesn't disappear the toddler's tears start to fall and she buries her head into my neck. I'm kind of stuck in a hard place right now because I don't want to undermined Shelby's parenting, but it's really not that big of a deal, the little girl weighs next to nothing.

"Sowwy." The little girl whimpers out into my neck. I can tell that Santana is having just as hard of a time staying stoic as I am.

"Just a heads up Shelby, Quinn is in this Mall somewhere." Santana tells her in an effort to break the tension.

"Do you think it would be too much for her to see Beth?" Shelby asks as she reaches forward and starts rubbing the toddlers back.

"I don't think so, I think she would love it, but I didn't know how you felt. I just wanted to give you a heads up." Santana tells her. She is totally being a huge kiss ass right now. I think she is hoping that if she's nice enough that Shelby will just forget about the little talk they are supposed to have.

"Alright, thanks. I think that everything will be alright as long as Quinn doesn't go all crazy on us and do something stupid like try to call CPS and get her taken away from me or something equally crazy." Shelby jokes. Santana and I chuckle because not even Quinn is that unbalanced.

"I think you'll be safe." I tell her with another chuckle.

"Of course I can go though if you guys don't want an old person like me around while you cause trouble." She offers, I think she's realizing that we must have been here with our friends.

"I'm alright with you staying if you don't have anywhere else to be. We are just goofing off and wasting time. Plus I don't think either of these girls will allow us to separate them at this point." I joke as the two girls giggle at something us adults don't get. For the two girls being completely different ages (though eleven months doesn't seem like a huge gap, it's extensive when it comes to a seven month old), they really get along great.

"If you're sure." Shelby checks one last time. I just nod my consent.

"Beth!" We hear Noah call from down the hall, instantly taking the little girls attention away from her infant counterpart.

"UCK!" Beth screams with a giggle. She really grew attached to Noah the few times that she had met him.

Once he is close enough, Noah grabs the little girl from my arms and starts playing with her by swinging her around the, luckily, empty hallway. Both he and Skylar have huge smiles on their faces, Skylar on the other hand has a pout on her face from having her playmate taken from her.

"Don't be upset Princess, she'll be back." I tell her in a soothing tone as I start to bounce her up and down and tickle her tummy. After a few more bounces Sky regains her smile thankfully. I smile back at her and I see that Santana is doing the same.

"Ok. Now that the two little rascals both seem happy and taken care of… why don't you and I have a little chat Santana?" Shelby looks up to Santana with a mischievous smile on her face, causing Santana's smile to drop immediately.

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><p><strong>Ok I know you are all anxious for the ShelbySantana (Shetana? lol) talk and it is in the next chapter I promise, but I want to give you all a heads up.. it did not turn out like I expected it would lol.. I don't want to get your hopes up to have them dashed :/**

**Next chapter should be up Wednesday at the latest.. depending on how motivated I am it could be up tomorrow :)**

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think please! I love reviews! **


	26. Chapter 26

**I always think these chapters are going to be short and then they end up being over 6000 words.. strange **

**So here the next chapter :) It is pretty much all Shelby/Santana and Quitt drama more than anything else.. mostly a filler really.. I will try to fit more Pezberry in next chapter! Again this chapter is almost all Santana's POV but I figure since most of this fic has been primarily Rachel's POV it will be fine lol**

**Thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, alerts, and favorites this story! you are all amazing!**

**Thanks to my amazing beta GE0309!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 26<strong>_

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I totally thought I had somehow gotten away without having this talk. Or that Rachel had been joking about it. But nope. Just my luck!

I feel like I'm walking the green mile right now. Shelby has her hand on my shoulder as she leads me to a part of the mall that is having construction done on it. It's absolutely deserted since the construction workers are off on Sundays. It's actually a bit creepy that she chose this place to do this.

"We may be alone now, but if you kill me someone will find the body here." I tell her only half joking.

"Oh I'm not going to kill you, I'm just going to have a simple talk with you." She says overly sweet.

"I have a parent to have this talk with, don't you think you should have it with _Rachel_?" I know it's not right to throw my girlfriend under the bus like that, but I'll do pretty much anything to get out of this.

"Oh I called your father to make sure he was ok with me doing this. Don't worry, he was." She says with a smug smile. What the hell? She called my dad!

"It was a joke, jeez lighten up. I was dared to do it and so I did it. We're not even sleeping together for god sakes. You knew that our friends were over, so honestly why would I be calling her?" I ask.

"Oh I know that Rachel was with you, but that doesn't make the situation any different. You were still acting as if you were talking to my daughter in a derogatory manner."

"Acting being the key word Shelby. It was a joke; I never would speak to her like that for real. Well you know, outside the bedroom."

What the hell is wrong with me? Why would I say that to her mother?

"Excuse me? Yeah we need to have this talk. Have a seat." She tells me, pointing to a bench a few feet away. I look at her apprehensively before doing as I am told.

"Look Shelby, I know that you think that we need to have this long talk and what not. But honestly you don't need to. I'm not a virgin and neither is Rachel. Plus we are not even having sex yet, so really this isn't needed." I tell her as I try to stand up and walk away. She doesn't let me get away that easily and grabs my arm and sits me back down.

"I know that you think that you don't, but I really don't think you've ever had this talk so whether you like it or not we're having it. Lets start with the virgin part of it. Regardless of whether you or Rachel are virgins physically anymore, neither of you are old enough for it to truly not matter to you. Add that to the fact that Rachel didn't choose to have sex with Jesse and your theory really doesn't hold true. She is still that little girl that pictures her first time being perfect Santana, not tainted by cheap talk. I think you are too honestly. You talk this big game, but I can almost guarantee that you have never had sex with anyone you actually cared for, let alone loved. It's going to be different; it's going to be more powerful than any other time for you. Don't underestimate it."

How did I not think about the fact that this would be Rachel's first time emotionally? As her girlfriend I should be the one to figure that out; I shouldn't have needed her mother to tell me this. She's right about me too. I have never really been with anyone that I love romantically. Sure I slept with Brittany, and I love her, but it's not the same. Brittany is my best friend, but our love is more platonic than romantic. The sex was just a means to an end, just like every other time.

With Rachel it will be different. I want to spend the rest of my life with Rachel. Our first time is going to be a manifestation of that. It needs to prove to her that I am all in; it needs to show her how much I love her.

"Ok, Santana I need you to calm down."

What? When did I start hyperventilating? When did I start turning into Rachel?

I slowly get my breathing back under control.

"I'm good. I'm sorry. Just thinking about how big this is, is kind of overwhelming."

"I meant to show you that, but I didn't meant to freak you out. I'm not saying that you don't deserve her, or that you won't be able to treat her the way she deserves to be treated Santana. I am just saying that maybe you aren't ready yet, either of you. I think that you have both been miscalculating the importance of this event and misjudging your readiness for the step. I want you to think about it, really think about it. Taking this step in your relationship is going to be monumental for you guys, just don't waste it because your hormones become too much. Okay?" She asks me in a motherly tone that I haven't heard directed at me for over six years.

I bow my head as tears threaten to spill from my eyes. This is not at all how I suspected this conversation would go. I expected her to be angry with me for defiling her little girl, to try and hurt me for that. I miscalculated the mother gene that is inside Shelby that keeps her grounded and helps her to see reason.

The older brunette hooks her finger underneath my chin and raises my head so that I am looking into her eyes.

"Sweetie, I'm not telling you that you're not good enough for her; not in the least. I think you two are made for each other honestly. I just wanted you to see things logically. You will know when you're ready, and when the time is right. All I'm saying is don't force it. If you need to talk to someone about it, someone who isn't your dad, you can always come to me. Alright?" I nod my head as more tears fall from my eyes. She scoots closer to me and pulls me into a hug and I cling to her as I continue to cry; suddenly very grateful that she found a isolated section of the mall.

I realize now that when she had called my dad to ask him if he was ok with her talking to me, that he most likely told her about my mom. I didn't realize it until now, but without my mom around anymore, I have been sorely missing a mother figure. It's nice to know that Shelby is willing to help me just like she is with Rachel.

We sit there for a few more minutes as I try to calm my emotions. Once I have finally stopped crying I pull away from her and give her a nervous half smile. I didn't realize how many emotions that I have been ignoring lately, and it feels oddly refreshing to get them off my chest, but that doesn't make it any less embarrassing.

"It's ok to be vulnerable sometimes you know." She tells me as she watches me clean myself up.

"Doesn't mean I like to be." I sneer before even realizing that I'm doing it. Once I process I lose the attitude and mutter an apology.

"You know Santana, you really surprised me when I first came back. From what I had heard about you before I was worried that your involvement in Rachel's life would be detrimental to her wellbeing, but after meeting you for the first time I could tell that you were anything but. Still, I never imagined that you were going to be a completely different person than you were before you started courting Rachel. You truly stepped up for her and for that I commend you. That doesn't mean that you have to live a double life though; sweet and caring with Rachel and hard and unforgiving to everyone else." She tells me and I can feel the anger bubbling up inside me.

"You don't know a thing about me. I am hard because to survive at McKinley there isn't another option. I love Rachel and if I want to protect her the way I have been this year, I need to make sure that everyone fears me." I snap.

"I'm not saying that you don't. I've seen the way that school works Santana, but we're not at school right now. It's just you and me, so why does it matter that you look vulnerable?"

I think about that for a moment. I really don't know why it bothered me that she saw me so vulnerable actually. There are people that I have no problem seeing me act so vulnerable, namely Rachel and my dad and occasionally Puckerman, but with others I freak out. I know that Shelby isn't going to use it against me, so why do I care if she sees it?

"I don't know ok? I'm sorry." I tell her begrudgingly. "Thanks though. For everything." I add.

"No problem Santana. Honestly if you need anything, you can come to me." She tells me pulling me into a side hug, which I surprisingly let myself melt into for a second. "Lets go find the others and see what kind of trouble they got themselves in."

"You did leave your daughter with Puck, small possibility she'll have a mohawk when we go back." I joke as I stand up. She looks mildly horrified for a second before rolling her eyes.

"Why did you talk to me about this instead of your own daughter?" I ask as we walk away from the construction site.

"Because I thought you would be able to recognize my point more. Plus you were the one to call me and set the ball in motion." She laughs and I roll my eyes but chuckle as well. "I plan on having a talk with Rachel also, but I'm more nervous about that one. I finally am getting her to trust me, and I don't want to push her too hard."

"I get that, but I honestly don't think that you would be. It would probably show her that you care." I tell her.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with you setting her up for an awkward conversation to make up for her setting you up for one, would it?" She asks with a smirk.

"No. Of course not." I say in a monotone sarcastic voice; only barely holding my giggle through it.

As soon as we reenter the hallway that our group is in we can hear laughing and babies squealing. When we reach the hallway we see Puck, with Beth in his arms, being chased by Mike and Tina, who are helping Skylar walk. Luckily the mall is pretty much empty for a Sunday afternoon, allowing them to have pretty much free reign. Rachel is standing off to the side watching the spectacle with a huge smile on her face as she lets out a string of laughter. She looks so beautiful that it takes my breath away.

Rachel must sense our presence because she looks backwards towards us and her smile instantly disappears when she takes me in. I guess I didn't clean the tears off my face well enough because she quickly moves towards us.

"What happened? Are you alright?" She asks as she brings me into her arms. "What did you do?" She accuses Shelby.

"I'm fine Rae, she just helped me realize some stuff that I hadn't realized before. Nothing bad, it was actually really helpful. Everything's fine." I ensure her.

"Are you certain?" She asks looking wearily over to her mother. She accepts my nod as a suitable answer and her muscles visibly loosen.

I can tell that Shelby is hurt at how quickly Rachel turned on her. I think I should probably have a talk with Rachel about this, I feel like she is backtracking whenever she gets to close to Shelby. I know that she is trying to be cautious, but it's erring on the side of damaging now. Why does it feel like I just keep adding more conversations to the list that need to be had?

"Was Beth ok for you guys?" Shelby asks trying to hide her disappointment and sorrow.

"Yeah she was totally fine. She is loving the little chasing game that the group started." She explains, acting as if she doesn't see the hurt in her mother's eyes. I know she does though.

"Have Brittany or Quinn showed their faces yet?" I'm actually starting to worry about them; they've been good for a while now.

"Nope, it's weird." She tells me turning around to look at our group of friends. "But they'll show up, hopefully they are working on their issues."

"Brittany and Quinn have issues? I never took Brittany for someone to have issues with anyone." Shelby says, confused.

"Not confrontation issues; more like…" The diva starts and looks to me for a good adjective to explain.

"… Sexual issues?" I supply, not sure if that's really the best way to explain it.

"Ah. I see." Shelby says and then points down the hallway to the side of us. "Well I don't know about Brittany, but there's Quinn." She tells us.

Both Rachel and I turn to look at the confused looking blonde who was heading our way. It was probably better for Quinn's sake if Brittany showed up first, because not knowing what happened to my best friend is making me anxious.

"What happened? Where is she?" I ask harshly when she gets closer.

"I don't know! I haven't been able to find her this entire time! I looked all over this damn mall three times, she freaking disappeared." She says in a defeated tone.

"She'll turn up," I try to appease when in actuality I am freaking out a little bit. Brittany never disappears like this. Rachel senses my panic because she places her hand on my arm, I instantly relax a little bit.

"Sky! Get me!" Beth squeals with a loud giggle. Bringing all of our attention over to the group.

Quinn instantly stiffens; I guess she didn't see her when she walked up. "Is that-" she doesn't even finish the sentence; there's no need to. Tears start to well up in her eyes, but I'm not sure if they are happy tears or not.

"Yes. Are you ok with seeing her? If not we can go." Shelby offers.

"Are you ok with me seeing her?" Quinn ask looking at Shelby for a nanosecond before bringing her eyes back to the blonde headed child.

"If I weren't I wouldn't have kept her here when I knew you were here. Do you want to meet her?" Shelby asks delicately, earning an enthusiastic nod from Quinn.

"Puckerman!" Shelby yells to the Jewish boy, who looks over to us and figures out what is being asked of him when he sees Quinn. He quickly starts to walk over towards us and away from a disgruntled Skylar, with an equally disgruntled Beth in his arms.

"No! Sky!" Beth yells and leans over to where Skylar and Chang Squared are.

"Excuse me young lady, but you do not say no." Shelby chastises the little girl.

Beth pouts in response, refusing to say sorry for a crime that she's not sorry she committed. She also decides that she does not want to be held by the traitor anymore and leans over towards Rachel with her arms extended. Rachel takes her sister into her arms and sits her on her hip.

"Beth, this is Quinn. Can you say hi to Quinn?" Shelby asks in a semi-baby voice.

"Hi." The little girl says somewhat begrudgingly, though I can tell that her anger is starting to dissipate at the thought of making yet another friend. She already has a smile on her precious little face.

"Hey Beth, I am really excite to be getting to meet you!" Quinn says excitedly with tears in her eyes, definitely happy tears.

"No cry! Inn No cry!" Beth says frantically looking around to everyone to try and figure out what she did and how to fix it.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I'm not crying just really happy to get to meet you."

The little girl and her biological mother interact for another minute before Beth requests to be held by her newest best friend. It is amazing to watch the interaction between them. It's so natural, more natural than any other I've seen Beth have with the exception of Shelby and maybe Puck.

We spend the next few minutes playing with the two babies, until we hear music start to play loudly over the loud speaker. All nine of us, including the kids, look up at the new sound as if the speaker would tell us what was going on.

**I don't know why I like it**

**I just do**

We all hear Brittany start the intro to the song and our heads whip over to look at her. She is coming towards us from the hallway that Quinn just came from. She apparently spent this entire time picking out a new outfit, because she is currently not wearing the clothes she came here in. She has on a tight black faux leather corset looking shirt and tight, dark skinny jeans.

Oh god. This could either turn out really well or horribly, horribly wrong. I'm not sure if she realizes it or not, but Brittany is about to out Quinn to everyone in this mall.

**I've been hearing your heartbeat inside of me**

**I keep your photograph beside my bed**

**Livin' in a world of fantasies**

**I can't get you out of my head**

She reaches us and starts circling around Quinn, forcing everyone else to separate from her so the cheerleader can fit. I look over to Rachel and she looks just as worried as I feel.

Quinn seems to be in shock still, she doesn't seem to know what to do right now.

**I've been waiting for the phone to ring all night**

**Why you wanna make me feel so good**

**I got a love of my own baby**

**I shouldn't get so hung up on you**

Hm. Oddly a perfect and terrible song for them.

**Oh I remember the way that we touch**

**I wish I didn't like it so much**

At this part Brittany starts to run her hands up and down Quinn's arms in a sensual way, lowering her whole body as she goes down the shorter blondes arms.

The touch seems to awaken Quinn from her comatose, but she still doesn't look like she knows what to do. She keeps looking around as if someone was going to give her a plan of attack.

**Oh I get so emotional baby**

**Every time I think of you**

**I get so emotional baby**

Brittany starts to circle Quinn again, this time keeping her hand on the shorter girl's shoulder so that as she goes around she is constantly touching the girl.

**Ain't it shocking what love can do**

**Ain't it shocking what love can do**

**Ain't it shocking what love can do**

**I gotta watch you walk in the room baby**

**I gotta watch you walk out**

**I like the animal way you move**

**And when you talk**

**I just watch your mouth**

Brittany leans in and places a quick kiss to Quinn's lips before starting to sing again. She doesn't even seem to notice that Quinn is close to having a panic attack right now, but all of us watching do. We look to one another trying to figure out how to fix this before it goes to far.

**Oh I remember the way that we touch**

**I wish I didn't like it so much**

Again Brittany works her way down Quinn's body but this time doesn't stop at the girl's hands, she continues to drop lower and graze the girl's outer thighs as well.

You could visibly see Quinn snap into action at this. Anyone watching could see the breaking point within the girl. She stumbles backwards a step and looks around her looking like a deer caught in headlights. I look around us as well and take in the group of people who had stepped into the hallway to watch the spectacle as well.

This is so not good.

**Oh I get so emotional baby**

**Every time I think of you**

**I get so emotion- **

Before Britt even has a chance to finish the verse, Quinn takes off. Everyone watching remains quite as Brittany stops singing, the only noise is the background music to the song still playing over the loud speaker.

Tears instantly well up in Brittany's eyes as she looks over to the group of friends. She quickly runs over to us and throws herself into my chest and starts sobbing into my hair.

"I'm going to make sure Quinn's alright. I want to be here for Brittany, but Quinn needs someone right now too." Rachel whispers into my ear quietly. I give her an appreciative smile before she takes off down the hallway the way Quinn just went.

"Why doesn't she like me?" Brittany sobs into neck.

My heart is breaking for her right now but at the same time, I can't really blame Quinn for reacting the ways she did. Brittany just outed her to complete strangers and she was barely ready to deal with those feelings by herself.

"Away. Now!" I hear Shelby say in her strict, scary coach voice. I look up from Brittany's hair and see people around us scattering, leaving only our friends in the hallway.

I can hear both Beth and Skylar starting to fuss in whoever's arms they are currently in. They can probably both feel the tension and it's clearly upsetting them.

"I'm going to take the kids and bring them both with me for a walk, call me if you need anything." Shelby tells me quietly. I nod to let her know that I heard her as she grabs the two kids and walks down the hallway, opposite the way that Quinn and Rachel went.

I pull back from Brittany just enough to grab both of her hands in mine and move us over to a bench a few feet away. As soon as I sit down on the bench, Brittany is on my lap with her head back in my neck. Tina quickly claims the seat next to us while Puck and Mike kneel down to the front and side of the bench.

"Brittany, I don't think that this is about her not liking you. I think it's all just too much for her. We all know that Quinn's not really one to outwardly show emotions like these." Tina tells the blonde in my arms while running her hand up and down Brittany's arm.

"Yeah Britt, I think that Quinn really likes you. She went looking for you when we first got here." Puck supplies.

"If she likes me then why would she run away like that?" She asks in a voice similar to a confused little kid.

"B, how would you feel if one of us told your biggest secret to a whole bunch of people that you didn't know?" I ask her gently. I already know how she's going to react when she realizes what she has done, and I'm not looking forward to it.

"About my time machine?" She asks deadly serious as she looks around.

"Sure. How would you feel if we told random people about it?" I ask.

"I would be really upset! That's not something for you to tell." She tells me obviously angry at the thought of me telling people about this time machine. I let the information sink in, and a second later her face falls and her lip quivers.

"I totally just outed Quinn didn't I?" She asks already knowing the answer. "I didn't mean to! God why am I so stupid!" She yells.

All four of us respond in sync, "You're not stupid!"

But I continue on afterwards "You were just overexcited Britt, and Quinn's just scared right now. Everything will be alright. Rachel will get Quinn to calm down and then once everyone is more relaxed you guys can have a talk about your feelings."

"You don't know that San. I could have just ruined everything." She tells me sorrowfully before breaking into tears again. There is really nothing I could do at this point but to hold my best friend while she cries. I hope Rachel has more luck with Quinn.

* * *

><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

Apparently being off the Cheerios for two years has done nothing to slow Quinn down. The minute head start she had on me made it quite difficult to catch up to her, but I finally found her collapsed on the ground crying outside of her car.

As soon as I get to her, I sit down on the floor next to her. I'm not sure how to handle this now that I'm here. Quinn and I have obviously never had the best relationship, we are only now becoming tentative friends, but she needed someone and Santana had to take care of Brittany, so here I am.

"Santana has my keys for some reason." She tells me in explanation as why she didn't get in the car.

"What's going through your head right now?" I ask softly.

"You know Santana basically asked me the same thing earlier." She laughs resentfully. "And I still don't know the answer, if anything things just got more confusing."

"That's understandable. I don't think she meant to do what she did. I think she was going more for big romantic gesture rather than humiliation and outing." I reason.

"I know that. I know that she was just trying to show me how she feels. I know that this is probably my fault for confusing her with my feelings. I know that she didn't mean to out me. But I also don't know what all this means. I don't know if this changes my fears about being in a relationship with her. I don't know how my mom is going to react when she finds out about all of this, and now she is undoubtedly going to find out much sooner than she was meant to." She rambles on.

"Lets take this one step at a time. Answer the questions without thinking, just answer them with your heart not your brain. Do you have feelings for Brittany?" I ask.

"Yes." She answers immediately.

"Do you want to be with her?"

"Yes"

"Are you afraid of being with her?"

"Yes"

"Is it about what people will say about you?"

"No not really."

"What do you mean by not really?"

"It's about people making assumptions about things they no nothing about; things that I know nothing about." She answers with a confused look on her face.

"About them assuming that you're gay?"

"Yes"

"Is Brittany worth all of this?"

"Yes." She says without hesitation and then processes what she says and looks up into my eyes with a surprised look on her face. "Yes." She says with a smile, which I match.

"I was so afraid of being with her because of what people will assume about me, but it's really not important if I'm with her." She tells me with a growing smile.

"Quinn, I am not going to pretend to know everything about your life, but honestly if you're gay, bi whatever it doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're with someone who makes you happy." I tell her.

"That really doesn't solve the problem of my mother though. I honestly can't even begin to comprehend how she will react to this. She's been a lot better now that my father is gone, but that doesn't necessarily mean that everything that he had been drilling into her mind has faded." She says while looking down at her lap.

"Being rejected by your parents... sucks. There really isn't anything worse. I know you know that. But you got through it the first time; if necessary I think you could do it again. I'm not downplaying how hard it is, but is it worth being unhappy and having to pretend to be something you're not?" I ask placing my hand tentatively on her knee.

"The worse part about being kicked out was having nowhere to go. That's the problem when you burn every bridge you have." She says dejectedly.

"But you rebuilt all of those bridges Quinn. You have people now, and not just a fake baby daddy and a real one. You have real friends, and if you play your cards right, you may have a girlfriend too." I joke with a wiggle of my eyebrows, hoping to get some form of a smile out of the girl. Even though she doesn't look up, I can hear her giggle.

"You're right."

"I love when that happens." I joke. "Alright lets go in and find everyone." She just nods and follows me in.

We stop at a bathroom first so that she can fix her makeup, then make our way to the corridor that our friends were in before. Before getting there however we run into Shelby with the two girls in the food court.

"Everything ok?" Shelby asks when she sees us, looking specifically at Quinn.

Both girls look up at me and Quinn and their arms instantly raise for one of us each. I lift Skylar onto my hip while Quinn does the same for Beth.

"Inn ok?" Beth asks the older blonde.

"Yeah I'll be ok, just a little rattled is all." She answers both Corcoran's questions while smiling at Beth.

"I'm glad." Shelby says with a smile as she stands from the table and starts cleaning up. "Do you think Sky will be ok around whatever is about to go down? I'm about to head out I think and I can take her with me if not." My mother offers.

"No I think it will be ok now. Plus she needs to eat."

"I can feed her." Shelby offers.

"No! Don't offer to feed her, she's a demon when it comes to feeding and Rachel and Santana seem to think it's funny to unleash it on unknowing innocents." Quinn says dramatically giggling at the affronted look I am giving her. Even Skylar looks offended by the accusation.

"Oh don't even! Tina got spit on and then both she and Mike got food thrown at them!" Quinn says while tickling Skylar's stomach, making her giggle and pull away from her.

"I don't mind a little bit of food being thrown at me, but if you think you're ok then I'd like to avoid it." Shelby says with a laugh.

We continue on towards the others, since Shelby's stuff is still over there. Once we get there we see Brittany still crying in Santana's arms, though now they are sitting on a bench.

Shelby says a quick goodbye to everyone and heads out, telling us she'll see us later.

"Britt?" Quinn says tentatively.

Brittany looks up instantly when she hears Quinn voice. "You came back." She says while sitting up straighter. "Quinnie I'm so sorry! I didn't think before I acted and I was so stupid! I can't believe I just did that! I ruined everything!" Brittany rants as her voice starts to wobble again.

"You didn't ruin anything. I just needed to think, and a pep talk." She says giving me a quick smile. "And you are most certainly not stupid, the song was great, just unexpected and… well scary because of all the people. But if I had just sat down and been a grown up and talked to you about it, then this wouldn't have happened." Quinn tells her as she walks over to the bench. "Can we talk now?" She asks and extends her hand to the dancer.

Brittany looks up with hopeful eyes and eagerly takes Quinn hand. Once they are gone, I claim Brittany's previous seat on Santana's lap and relax back into her body.

"Well that was eventful. Is this what it's always like out in the real world? I don't remember it being this action packed." I quip earning a few chuckles.

After a few more minutes of sitting there Skylar starts whining, which I'm assuming it's because she's probably hungry. "Anyone want to feed her?" I joke.

"NO!" Puck, Mike, and Tina scream.

"Look at that Little Rascal, you scared everyone off!" I joke tickling her sides before placing her in my girlfriends lap so I can get her food.

After feeding her, we decide to walk around a little more. Before we even reach the first store, Skylar is asleep in Santana's arms. The Latina of course refuses to put the infant in her stroller.

Finally around three we decide to just go back to my house and watch a movie and relax before dinner. We all set out to find the blonde duo to let them know our plans and see what they want to do.

Santana takes us to the construction site saying that they probably went there since it's deserted. Sure enough when we walk into the hallway, we see Brittany and Quinn making out on a bench. At least they made up.

"Hey pervs, we're going back to Rachel's. Do you want to come or do you want to stay here and risk getting caught making out?" Santana asks in a way that only she could.

The blondes jump away from each other, well more like Quinn jumps away and Brittany looks up with a huge smile on her face. The taller blonde grabs the shorter girl's hand and happily skips over to us so that we can head to our cars.

This time Santana drives with me, and Britt drives with Quinn.

* * *

><p><strong>So I hope that this lived up to your expectations.. especially the ShelbySantana talk since everyone was so excited for it lol.. I was going to prolong Quitt a bit more but it would probably be hard to go through all of that in Pezberry's POVs so I decided against it.. hope no one minds :/**

**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review to let me know what you think! What would you guys like to see happen? **


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey guys! So you know those chapters where I say that it kind of took on a mind of its own and went somewhere i never expected it to go... yea this is one of those chapters :) **

**Thank you all for all the reviews favorites and alerts for this fic.. my mind continues to be blown!**

**Huge thanks to my beta GE0309**

**Disclaimer: Glee is not mine, however Skylar and Antonio are :)**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 27<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

The rest of Sunday went pretty well. The dinner with the Trouble Tones went pretty well, nothing all that extraordinary happened compared to earlier in the day. Tony had called Santana and told her that he missed her so we decided to go back to her house afterwards and hang out there. Santana had tried to get me to sleep over, but I refused since we had school the next morning and sleeping somewhere else would be detrimental to my routine.

Barb had called to tell me that her sister was still in the hospital but she would be willing to start watching Sky again; I think that it was more about needing a pay check again. We had come to an agreement that she would watch her on Mondays and Thursdays while her sister is still in the hospital and I would get Shelby's mom to watch her the other three days. I would also be raising her wage so that it could somewhat make up for the missing days.

It feels nice to be able to wake up a half hourlater again, since I don't have to drive Skylar anywhere today. I'm wondering how difficult waking up early some days and not so early others is going to effect my sleeping patterns, and more importantly Skylar's.

About five minutes after Barb shows up I tell her I have to go so I can pick Santana up. With a quick kiss sequence on Skylar's face and a goodbye to Barb, I am out the door.

I didn't expect anything to be different today compared to every other day, which is why I was stunned when I walked into school.

As soon as we step foot into the door, a group of people surround us and congratulate us on our win at Sectionals. Once we maneuver our way through that another group surrounds us.

"What's going on?" I ask a random freshman.

"Were just all really glad that you guys won!" He says excitedly.

I look over to Santana with a confused look on my face. "You all hate the glee club. What changed now?" I ask the same boy.

"What are you talking about? We don't hate the Trouble Tones, how could we? You have all the elites in your club." He explains while saying one last congrats and walking away.

Is this for real right now? The Trouble Tones are actually popular? I mean I recognized that with Puck, Mike and most of the Cheerios in the club we held our own with the popularity scale… actually come to think of it the only people considered pariahs in the club are Tina and I.

I'm not actually sure why we never expected the club to become popular, especially when we won.

"Have people been treating you guys like you're gods too?" Tina asks as she makes her and Mike's presence known.

"So it's not just us then?" I ask as I lean against the locker next to Santana's as she gets what she needs.

"No it's definitely not. A welcomed change from what we got in New Directions, isn't it?" She says with a giggle. I can tell that the thought of being semi-popular is exciting the gothic girl.

Just as I am joining in the giggles, there is a very distinctive splash from down the hallway. After years of being slushied, both Tina and I instantly know what the noise was. We both move towards the center of the hallway so that we can see who the victim is.

Kurt and Mercedes.

I look over to Tina to see what she thinks we should do. In the old days we would always help each other when any one of us got slushied, ok so I would help anyone and pretty much no one would help me, but still, now things have changed. That doesn't take away the horrible feeling of seeing people I used to consider friends in pain. With a small nod, Tina tells me that she is thinking the same thing. We both let out sighs and start down the hallway towards the gossiping duo.

"Where you going? Let them be guys." I hear Santì tell us, but she goes ignored.

"Come on guys, let's get you cleaned up." I tell them as we stop in front of them.

"Like we need your help!" Kurt hisses.

"We're just trying to help guys." Tina says.

"We don't want your help. You think now that your little glee club has won Sectionals that you're better than us? Think again. You're just as big of losers as we are." Mercedes says as she scoops purple slushy off her chest and flicks it on both Tina and me, hitting both of us on the chin and neck.

The hallway goes quiet. Everyone turns to stare at the four of us. It is kind of eerie.

"What do you think you're doing?" Danielle, a junior Cheerio and shoo-in for Captain next year once Santana and Brittany graduate, says as she walks up next to us. When I look to her left, I see most of the Cheerios.

"We were just having a conversation, nothing for you to worry about." Kurt defends, trying to act cool and collected when it's obvious he's nervous.

"I see, then can you please explain to me how two people on 'The List' have slushy on them?"

Two people? I whip my head over to Tina as she looks at me with a huge grin on her face. She's on 'The List' too!

"It just slipped of my hand, Danielle. Calm down." Mercedes says nonchalantly. I think she feels because she was on the team with some of the girls sophomore year that she thinks they are friends, I feel like she is wrong.

"Really, interesting since I saw you pick it up and fling it at them." She says with a snap. A second later there is a slushy in her hands.

Not good at all. Where the hell is Santana?

"Sort of like this." Danielle says as she places her hand in the cup and pulls out a handful of red slushy. She swiftly tosses the slushy into Mercedes' face.

"Now listen here. Rachel and Tina are friends and teammates to almost every Cheerio. Meaning that if you do something to them and for whatever reason Santana isn't around to take care of it, you still have 30 other girls to watch out for. I recommend you watch your step." Danielle says as she brings her arm back to ready herself for the slushy toss.

"Stop!" I say quickly. No way am I allowing this to go from offering to help them clean up to them getting slushied because they messed with me.

"Rachel they just…" Brooke, a freshman Cheerio, says from behind Danielle.

"I know but there's been enough slushies thrown today, just let them go clean up." I ask them pleadingly. If I allow the Cheerios to slushy someone on my behalf, I'm not better than the people who slushied me.

"Fine. Go." Danielle says sternly to the duo and they quickly take their leave.

"Thanks for that." I tell the Cheerios. "Please don't slushy anyone because of me though. I know what it feels like and I don't want to be the reason anyone else feels it." I ask them. Most of them look remorseful but they all nod to let me know they understand.

"Do any of you know where Santana is?" I ask, realizing that my girlfriend still hasn't materialized.

"Britts took her to the bathroom when she looked like she was about to murder those two, we told her we'd take care of them." Brooke tells me as she and the others disperse.

"Lets go get this slushy off of us," I tell Tina who nods.

"Who the _fuck_ do they think they are? I've beaten up more threatening people for less! They should not be getting away with this! Losers don't just go around slushying people!" I hear Santana seething as we walk into the bathroom.

"Sanny, to be fair, those 'losers' didn't really slushy them, they splashed them. But even so, Rachie wouldn't like you getting in trouble because you were being violent. She would totally be an angry beaver if you went and hurt them." Brittany says apparently not noticing that Tina and I had entered the room.

"I don't care! They can't get away with this!"

"You don't care huh?" I ask in a teasing tone as Tina and I make our way further into the bathroom.

"Well I mean- I care – Of course I care, but – I can't just…" Santana tries to back track and explain herself.

"Santì it's fine. We are fine, right Tina?" I ask and the Asian girl quickly affirms my statement. "Britt-Britt's right though, it would upset me if you got in trouble over something like this. Just let it go ok. The Cheerios scared the heck out of them anyway. Just relax, please." I ask her as I make my way towards her.

She lets out a huff that turns into a sigh. "Fine, but I'm not happy about it." She says with a pout.

Santana lets out a growl when she hears Tina giggle and make a noise similar to a whip. "What was that Cohen-Chang?" Santana says threateningly.

"Oh please San, like I find that scary anymore. I see you for the huge teddy bear you are." Tina giggles out.

Santana's lips automatically form a pout. "You're making me less badass." She whines to me, making all three of us laugh at her. Which only further embarrassed Santana and caused her to put her head in my neck.

It was only when I felt her kissing and licking my neck that I realize that I still have slushy on me. But what Santana is currently doing manages to distract me from it again. Hey, she's cleaning it right?

When I let out a moan, Tina decides she's had enough. "Alright you two break it up. I don't really want to watch you guys have sex." She jokes.

Strangely at Tina's comment, Santana stood up straight and put distance between us. She never cares what others think, why does she now?

"I totally do." Brittany says with a pout when she sees Santana back away from me. "It's totally hot." She says offhandedly.

"You should clean up, and I now have to wash my face." Santana says quickly. I give her a strange look but decide not to question it right now. Instead I just go about cleaning the slushy off of my neck and face.

By the time we are all cleaned up we already missed homeroom and the hallway is filled with people heading to first period. We all say our goodbyes and head to our different classes.

I am walking out of my first period class when I hear someone calling me from behind.

"Rachel, wait up!" I know the voice immediately.

"What do you want Finn?" I ask instantly annoyed.

"I just wanted to say that I thought it was cool that you're letting all of us join the Trouble Tones." He says making me instantly turn around to look at him.

"What do you mean letting you join?" I ask quickly.

"Well rumor is that Quinn just joined."

"Yeah… and" Quinn joining isn't really news. I figured now that she was closer to Santana again and dating Brittany that she would want to. I had told Shelby at dinner yesterday that if the blonde came again to ask that I had no problem with it.

"You hate Quinn so if you're letting her join, you are obviously going to let all of us join." He says as if he knows what he's talking about and it's so obvious. "It's going to be totally cool, we can do a duet together. Now that I'm not dating Quinn anymore, I won't look like an idiot for cheating on someone like Quinn with you. It totally works out." Even though I have no intentions of dating Finn again, or anyone who isn't Santana really, his words still hurt.

"Excuse me! What did you just say? Not only did you just attempt to, attempt being the operative word, hit on my girlfriend, but you also just insulted her. I didn't even know it was possible to do both of those at the same time." She says with a snap of the fingers.

I've been seeing those snaps enough to know what it means. Sure enough a second later a slushy is placed in her hands. Seriously how do the minions even get the slushies that fast?

"Next time you think about hitting on my girl, think again. But next time you think of insulting my girl remember that this will be the least of your worries." With that she throws the slushy, which he seems not to have noticed until it was flying at him, in his face.

"Ah! What the hell Santana? I'm on 'The List' you can't slushy me!" He says with a snap, clearly wanting a slushy to be handed to him. I have to stifle a chuckle when someone brings a slushy to Santana instead.

"Aw thanks Frankenteen, you saved me a snap. Also, you may be interested to know, that you are _not_ on 'The List' anymore. You were taken off the second you lost your captaincy to Puck." She says before throwing the second slushy at the boy also.

Without another word she grabs my hand and walks me towards my second period class. When we are standing outside the classroom, she looks like she is contemplating something, before pulling me off to the side.

"You know that he's an idiot right?" She asks, looking straight into my eyes.

"What?" I ask confused.

"Quinn's my best friend and she's awesome, but you're 100% better than she is. Someone would be stupid to _not _cheat on her with you if given the chance." She says with passion, and then seems to think about her statement "That makes me seem like a really shitty friend, but I don't care. You're amazing Rachel Barbra Berry and anyone who can't see that and appreciate that is a huge idiot."

I just stare at her for a second as my vision starts to blur with tears.

"I love you." I state simply before leaning forward and kissing her with all that I have.

It's not like our other kisses that turn into us exploring each other's bodies, it's just one to show our love for each other. We only break apart when we hear the bell ring above us.

"I love you," I whisper against her lips before pulling back completely.

"I love you too. I'll see you next period." She tells me before leaning forward and pressing one more kiss to my lips and walking down the hallway towards her class.

During third period we decide that we should go home during our free period and then come back to have lunch with our friends. I want to make sure that Barb is doing ok with Skylar after being away for almost two weeks, but mostly I want to have a make out session with my girlfriend.

As soon as we get in the house we go into the kitchen, since this is when Barb normally feeds the baby. Sure enough Skylar is in her highchair babbling wildly while Barb is 'mhm'ing her and getting her food ready. We say quick hellos and a few pleasantries before I excuse the two of us to my bedroom.

"Rae, I thought you wanted to check in on Sky and Barb?" She argues as she is forcing me to drag her behind me.

"I did check on them, they are fine. Why are you dragging your feet? Let's go we don't have much time." I say getting somewhat annoyed that my girlfriend is putting up a fight about making out with me.

We finally get up into my bedroom, and I push her against the door and start kissing her neck the way I know she likes it.

"I have to go to the bathroom!" She yells randomly.

I let out a huff and back away with my arms crossed, completely annoyed and not even the slightest bit amused.

"What the hell is going on Santana?" I ask her.

"Nothing, just got to pee." She says quickly making her way to my ensuite.

I follow her with my eyes until she is behind the closed door. I let out a sigh and move over to sit on the bed.

Why is she acting like this? Is she second-guessing the relationship because of what Finn said? But she was acting weird in the bathroom during homeroom too, so that can't really be it. Does she all of a sudden not find me attractive?

Maybe with Quinn coming out, she would rather be with her. Quinn is so much prettier than me, and Santana definitely deserves someone who is prettier, smarter, and more popular than me. I've always known that. Maybe she is starting to figure it out too.

What do I do about it though? I don't think I could live with out her now. I can't just let her go. She said that we were family, but will she still want to be part of my family now that she realized that she has better options? Is she going to leave me?

"Why are you crying?" Santana ask rushing over to me. I didn't realize I was crying nor did I hear the bathroom door reopen. "Baby, what wrong?" She asks with concern in her voice.

It sounds like she still cares, and even loves me. Maybe it's just the sexual part of our relationship she's not interested in anymore. Maybe the chemistry's not there anymore. Can you have a relationship without any chemistry?

"Rae, look at me." She tells me hooking her finger under my chin and turning my head to look at her. "What is going on?"

Looking into those beautiful brown eyes causes something to snap inside of me. She has quickly become the second most important person in my life, right after Skylar. I need her around. I can't live without her.

"Is there anything I can do? I will do anything, just tell me what I need to do." I offer quickly.

"What are you talking about?" She asks perplexed.

"I just want you to be happy, I want to be the cause of your happiness. Just tell me what I need to do to make you happy and content and I will do it." I tell her.

"Rachel, slow down. What are you talking about? I am more than happy and content with you. Happier than I have ever been." She tells me while cupping my face with both hands and looking deep into my eyes. "I love you Rae, and you don't need to change anything for me to continue to love you."

"Obviously that's not true. You don't even want to touch me, so there has to be something. Just tell me what it is Santana. Please just tell me. I can change it and then you won't have to leave." I plead with her. I just need her to tell me what she needs from me.

"Rachel what are you talking about?" She asks seriously. "You are the sexiest person I've ever seen, and you don't need to change anything. More importantly though is that I am never leaving you. Never." She tells me succinctly, so much so that I almost believe her. Almost.

"No there's something going on. Earlier in the bathroom at the mention of sex you jumped away from me like you thought it was appalling and then today I literally dragged you up here and when I started kissing you, you ran off to the bathroom. Something is obviously bothering you. That something is obviously me. Just please tell me what it is." I beg.

"Rae, it's how much I want to touch you that is making me pull away. How much my body reacts to you, that scares me." She tells me.

"What are you talking about? If that were true then you wouldn't be pulling away." I tell her, confused.

"No Rachel, if I don't I'm afraid that I won't be able to stop."

"Santana what are you talking about? We have always been able to stop. We were making out on Saturday and were able to stop ourselves for god sakes." I argue.

"No we weren't! Brittany stopped us! We were ready to round third!"

"Over the clothes! Either way, what the hell has changed between then and now?" I ask her, if she was fine with it two days ago what changed her mind?

Then it hits me. There is only one thing that could have changed her mind between Saturday and today.

Shelby.

"What the fuck did she say to you?" I ask seething.

"Nothing!" She says instantly. If she didn't say anything then how did she know who I was talking about?

"I'm sure! So what, Saturday you can't keep your hands off me and then you have a talk with Shelby and all of a sudden I'm repulsive to you? What the hell did she say Santana? She barely knows me so what could she have possibly said to make you change you mind so quickly?" I yell.

"She said that you didn't choose to sleep with Jesse!" She blurts out. I can see instantly that she regrets it.

I feel like I've been slapped in the face. I sit there stunned for a second.

"Rae, that came out way worse than it was supposed to. It's not like how you're thinking at all." She says while reaching forward and trying to touch my knee.

I instantly swat the hand away. "Don't fucking touch me. You have known about Jesse since the beginning, but Shelby tells you and it suddenly sinks in that I'm damaged goods? You know what Santana? Fuck. You." I say in an even voice while getting up and going into the bathroom to fix my make up quickly.

"You're not damaged goods, Rachel. That's not-"

"Just shut up Santana and get out of my house." I tell her sternly.

"What? You're kicking me out? Rachel we need to talk about this." She tells me desperately.

"I've heard enough. Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. My. House." I tell her lowly.

"Rae, please just listen to me."

"Get out before I call the cops Santana." I tell her with as few emotions as possible.

I don't even know what I'm doing right now. Two minutes ago I was freaking out about her leaving. But her comment made something snap inside of me.

"Rachel I've promised you before that I wouldn't walk away, so I refuse to now."

"Because that's stopped you before right?" I know it's a low blow but I don't care.

"I've learned from my mistakes."

"Either way, you're not leaving this time, I'm kicking you out."

"I'm not leaving Rachel. Call the cops if you want." She says defiantly.

"Santana, I think you'd better leave." When did Barb walk in?

"Barb-" Santana starts to argue.

"Rachel asked you to leave so you will walk out of this house right now, Santana." She tells the Latina in a no nonsense tone.

With one more pleading look back to me, Santana walks out of my room.

* * *

><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

How the hell did this just happen? One comment comes out wrong and I just lost my family? I am trying desperately to keep my tears at bay while Barb walks me out.

Once we reach the front door, Barb turns me to face her.

"I am making you leave, because one, she asked you to, so therefore you go. But most importantly because she is not in the right state of mind right now to comprehend that she is being stupid. Until she is, you're not going to get through to her. She will push buttons that she has no right pushing in order to push you away right now and I don't want to see you two break up for real over something like this." The older woman tells me while bringing me in for a tight hug.

"You heard?" I ask as I try even harder to fight the tears from breaking lose.

"You guys weren't exactly quiet, and it didn't help that I was changing Skylar in her room when everything started."

I'm mortified. I don't care that Barb heard it, but Skylar shouldn't be hearing things like that.

She must be able to tell what I'm thinking because she says "Don't worry as soon as you started really going at it I put her in her playpen with the TV on loud."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, please make sure she's ok." I tell her sadly. That should be me checking on her.

"I will, go on back to school." I nod and wave before heading outside.

"She can't miss anymore school, make sure she remembers that." I say offhandedly before shutting the door behind me.

Only then did I realize that Rachel drove. Well shit. I take out my phone and call Quinn to come get me, since she is the least likely to ask questions. I could probably walk, but I'm not really in the mood for that right now.

Luckily Quinn gets here quickly, however unluckily she doesn't ask me as few questions as I would have liked.

"What's going on S? Why are you coming back without Rach?" She asks. I just try to hold back tears, unsuccessfully, and shake my head.

"Santana what's going on? Are you ok? Is Rachel ok? Oh my god, is Skylar ok?" She rattles off quickly.

"Sky is fine, I don't know about the other two." I say quickly and succinctly to let her know that I am not talking about this right now.

"San you can't bottle this up, you need to talk about it. What's going on?" She asks.

"I need to talk to Shelby." I say simply, all of the sudden angry.

Quinn just sighs and nods her head, knowing me well enough to know that she isn't getting anything else out of me right now.

I barely give Quinn enough time to stop he car fully before I bolt from the car towards the far abandoned hallway of the school.

Without knocking I burst into the room. "This is all your fault!" I scream.

"Excuse me? You do not just enter a person's room like that Santana Christina Lopez!" What the fuck?

"Papi, what are you doing here?" I ask confused, momentarily forgetting my anger.

"Better question is what are you?" He counters.

"No I go to school here, and this is my coaches office, so I still think why you're here is the better question." I sass.

"Watch your tongue Santana, you're treading dangerous waters." He warns.

"Santana what's going on? Have you been crying?" Shelby asks, clearly trying to cut the tension. All she manages to do is bring my attention back to her.

"This is your fault! You ruined us!" I accuse while pointing my finger at her.

"What's my fault? Ruined who?" She asks confused.

"If you hadn't opened your trap about my relationship with Rachel, none of this would have happened!" I yell as tears of anger and sorrow low down my face finally.

"Santana, I will not warn you again, watch your mouth." My father threatens.

"What happened between you and Rachel?" Shelby asks.

"All I could think of was what you had to say about our relationship, and I started freaking out! I was afraid to touch her because I was afraid she would think that it wasn't special enough and that I would mess up somehow." I'm not screaming anymore. It's coming out in sobs now.

"She asked me what was wrong, and without thinking I just said that we talked about it and about how she didn't give consent to Jesse. It wasn't supposed to sound the way it did. It wasn't! But it did. And she took it that way of course and then she told me to fuck off and kicked me out. She threatened to call the cops on me! What am I going to do without her?" With that a huge sob leaves my body and I fall to the floor.

Within seconds I'm being scooped up into my fathers arms and sat on his lap. Shelby sits on the office chair next to the one we are in and starts rubbing my back.

"I am sorry that happened Santana. This is not what I wanted to happen at all. I just wanted to make sure you were being cautious, not over cautious. But Rachel loves you; she is not going to break up with you over this. She is just hurt and angry right now, she isn't thinking straight. She will come around Santana." She tells me soothingly.

It all sounds nice, but very unlikely. I've never seen Rachel like that. Nothing that she has ever been through has forced a reaction like that out of her. That fact alone scares me to death.

"I can't live without her and Skylar. They're my family. They're my future." I whimper out.

My father just holds onto me tighter and rocks me slightly.

"Shelby! You ruined everything! Do you have any idea what you just caused!" Rachel screams as she storms into the room similarly to how I just did moments ago.

She stops dead in her tracks when she sees me wrapped up in my dad's arms.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry this went back to being mostly Rachel's POV.. and I know a lot of you may be upset about the fight and everything but I have 2 thing to say about this before you all yell lol:<strong>

**1) I have had a lot of people saying that I only make Santana screw up and i realized that you are right lol so I kind of wanted to even the playing field for these two a little bit**

**2) I 100% blame this on ToastedMarshmellow08.. her mind ninja'ing is what got us to this point, so in essence she actually wrote this part more than I did.. ok maybe it was only 95% her fault :P**

**Ok now that that's done, please let me know what you think! Reviews make me happy and happiness makes it easier to write :P lol not to say that i wont write without the reviews... but they do make it easier haha**


	28. Chapter 28

**So as much as I hate to admit it, the one a day updates wont be back for a while probably.. these next few weeks are going to be a little nuts for me so I will write whenever possible. But my birthday is at the end of this week and I will be doing things for that all weekend and then next Wednesday I go on vacation for a week.. and chapters wont be common at all during that time.. Until then I will do my best to keep updating every other day :)**

**All the support is amazing and I am glad that you guys are still interesting!**

**Thanks to my amazing Beta GE0309 who helped me out a lot with this chapter! She just started her own fic called "Wooing Rachel Berry" so you guys should all go check that out!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing :(**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 28<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Rachel's POV <strong>

I come do the decision that instead of sitting in my bedroom crying over my fallen relationship that I am going to go yell at the one responsible. If Shelby would have kept her trap shut, none of this would have happened.

Barb puts up a fight about my driving when I'm this upset, but I don't even care right now. I need to get to school, and I'm surely not going to walk there. I just want to get to the school quickly to take care of business.

When I get outside, I realize that I drove Santì to school today. How did she leave? Did I just make the love of my life walk back to school? All because I was hurt? What the hell is wrong with me?

I just kicked out one of the most important people in my life. I threw her out like yesterdays trash! What the hell is wrong with me?

Fuck! She's never going to want to see me again.

I get into my car and speed to the school. My anger at Shelby renewed as I use it to mask my hurt and self-deprecation about the situation.

After whipping into a parking spot I see that Quinn, Brittany, Tina, Mike, and Puck are talking next to Quinn's car. They are all huddled up talking quickly. Three guesses what they are talking about. I'm thinking one of them is responsible for getting Santana here safely. I try to just bypass them, but they are not having it. They all form a barrier so that I can't cross, which only further irritates me.

"What is going on? Why did I just have a crying Latina in my car?" Quinn asks. That solves that mystery.

"Just let me go. I need to talk to Shelby." I tell them, annoyed at being stopped.

"Rachie what's going on? Why are both you and Santana sad pandas?" Brittany asks with a pout.

"Guys I appreciate your concern, I really do, but I need to go please. Please just let me go." I plead with them. They all look at each other and then thankfully relent and allow my to pass them.

"Call any of us if you need us!" I hear Tina yell.

As soon as I'm in the school, I am back on my mission. Find Shelby and give her a piece of my mind. I storm down the hallway not even caring who I run over along the way, luckily most people seem to know to get out of my way. I don't even pause when I reach Shelby's door, without missing a step I throw the door open and announce my presence.

"Shelby! You ruined everything! Do you have any idea what you just caused!" I yell before taking in my surroundings. When I do, I freeze. Shelby is sitting in the chair on the visitors side of the desk with Antonio and Santana, who is sobbing, sitting in the chair next to her.

Oh god, what have I done? She looks miserable, and heartbroken. What have I done?

Seeing her like that forces a sob to rake my body so strongly that I stumble backwards a step. Shelby stands up and takes a step towards me, but I just take another step back. I can't take my eyes off of my girlfriend. How could I have done that?

"I'm sorry." I apologize in a decibel right above a whisper. "I'm so sorry." I say as I take off out of the room.

I don't even know where I'm running to. I just run. If running to get lost takes you to Shelby's office, where does running away from Shelby's office take you?

Answer: the auditorium.

As soon as I see the familiar double doors, I run even faster for them. When I enter the room, I am enveloped in the warmth that comes strictly from being in here. One far under the feeling of holding Sky and being held by Santana, but a comforting one nonetheless.

I slow my steps as I make my way towards the stage. And slowly make my way up the steps and towards the piano. I sit down and start playing a melody that is both familiar and unfamiliar. One that I toyed around with at my school in Pittsburgh.

**What have I done **

**I wish I could run **

**Away from this ship going under **

**Just trying to help **

**Hurt everyone else **

**Now I feel the weight of the world Is on my shoulders **

**What can you do when your good isn't good enough **

**And all that you touch tumbles down **

**'Cause my best intentions **

**Keep making a mess of things **

**I just wanna fix it somehow **

**But how many times will it take **

**Oh, how many times will it take for me **

**To get it right **

**To get it right **

**Can I start again **

**With my faith shaken **

**'Cause I can't go back and undo this**

**I just have to stay **

**And face my mistakes**

**But if I get stronger and wiser I'll get through this **

**What can you do when your good isn't good enough **

**And all that you touch tumbles down **

**'Cause my best intentions **

**Keep making a mess of things **

**I just wanna fix it somehow **

**But how many times will it take? **

**Oh, how many times will it take for me? **

**To get it right So I throw up my fist **

**Throw a punch in the air **

**And accept the truth **

**That sometimes life isn't fair **

**Yeah, I'll send out a wish **

**Yeah, I'll send up a prayer **

**And finally someone will see **

**How much I care **

**What can you do when your good isn't good enough **

**All that you touch tumbles down **

**Oh, my best intentions **

**Keep making a mess of things **

**I just wanna fix it somehow **

**But how many times will it take? **

**Oh, how many times will it take? **

**To get it right **

**To get it right**

I hear clapping coming from the back of the auditorium along with the upper mezzanine. I look up to see Santana standing alone in the back of the auditorium while most of the Trouble Tones along with Antonio and Shelby are standing up in the mezzanine.

"Did you write that?" Shelby asks from up on the deck.

"Yeah." I say just loud enough for them to hear as I look back to the piano.

"It's really good." She says.

I don't respond to her. I'm still mad about all of this, and the way I see it, half of it is her fault.

"Trouble Tones out. Now." Shelby orders in her coach voice that she rarely actually pulls out on us.

I look up to see all of the Cheerios pile out of the top doors, but our five friends stay put defiantly. A few second stare down by Shelby though and they too quickly leave the auditorium.

"When you girls are finished, if you need a pass come find me." She yells to us before she and Tony leave the auditorium through the same door as everyone else.

"When did you write that?" Santana asks from where she is still standing in the back of the auditorium. I can't see her face, but I can hear the tears in her voice.

"In Pittsburgh, but it oddly seems more fitting now." I say as tears form in my eyes again.

"None of this is what you think it is." She says and her voice seems closer. I look up to her and see that she has started to make her way towards me.

"Sure it is Santana. But I guess I should just accept that right? No one is going to be able to love the damaged girl with my past." I say sadly.

"You're not damaged. And _I_ love you!" She says with conviction.

"If all you see when you look at me is a girl who was raped and had the misfortune of getting pregnant than that's not love, Santana. It's pity." I tell her harshly.

"First off, Skylar is not a misfortune." She hisses. The fact that she chose to defend Skylar first amongst all of this both makes me swoon and hurt my heart all at the same time.

I didn't even mean that Skylar was a misfortune, I would never think that, more that the situation was a misfortune. I meant the events that took place directly after the pregnancy came to light.

"And second, you have no idea what you're talking about! I don't see the girl who was raped when I look at you Rachel, I see the girl who overcame; the girl who survived everything that was thrown at her; the girl that became an amazing mother. When I said that Shelby reminded me that you didn't choose to sleep with Jesse, I wasn't talking about the abuse part of it Rachel. I was talking about the fact that you never got your perfect first time. The first time that every girl deserves. I was talking about the fact that you may not be ready for that step in our relationship yet and honestly I don't think I am either. But if you think that I'm with you out of pity-" She spits out and then pauses as if she's thinking about something, "If you think I'm with you out of pity, than what's the point?" She asks in a pained voice.

Again I let a sob fall from my lips. Is she breaking up with me? She has a right to, I doubted her when all she was trying to do was be respectful to me. Then to make matters worse I insulted her and downgraded our relationship.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry! Please Santì, I'm sorry. I was just scared and hurt, and I said things that I didn't mean!" I plead.

"You obviously did mean them to some extent Rachel!" She argues.

"No! I love you! I love you and I was just scared and I'm sorry!"

She stays quiet after this, just staring at me. As if deciding what she wants to do. I remain quiet also to give her time to think. I want her to really think about what she is about to do before making any moves. I can't have her break up with me. I don't know how to live without her now.

"I'm not with you out of pity." She starts and I open my mouth to say something but she just holds up her hand and silences me. "Just listen, don't talk. I'm not with you out of pity Rachel. I love you so much it hurts sometimes. You and Skylar, you are my family, my future. It seems weird to talk about this early, but I see me spending the rest of my life with you. You are my soul mate. So no, I am not with you out of pity. My feelings for you started way before I found out about what happened with Jesse, and they only grew when you came back. I want to be with you because of everything that makes you up, your personality, your beauty, you brain, your heart, everything. But in order for us to be together and be happy, I need you to believe that. I can't go through my entire life with you second-guessing my feelings Rachel. I get that you have had some shitty luck in the past when it comes to relationships, but I honestly believe that you're not as jaded as you make yourself out to be. I promise, if you completely let down those walls you're fighting to keep partway up, I will protect you with all that I have. With that said, this has to be your decision; you need to decide if you think that you can trust me enough to believe that my feelings are pure and true." She says with so much passion and conviction that another sob leaves me and tears stream down my face.

"I'm so sorry Santana. I'm so sorry. I do trust you and I do love you. I don't know what's wrong with me! You have been nothing but caring and loving this entire time and I keep messing up!" I yell as I slam my hands down on the keys of the piano letting out a string of mismatched notes.

"Rachel, do you want to be with me?" She asks slowly, her voice wavering slightly as she fights back her emotions.

I look at her instantly and stand up from the piano. "I never want to be with anyone else Santana. You're it for me too, if I can't have you, I don't want anyone!" I tell her.

She smiles at that and pulls me in for a tight hug. I cling desperately to her, just like she does to me.

"No more doubt alright? I know that's hard for you, so I would never hold it against you if you do have doubts, but I need you to talk to me about them rather than running away or kicking me out. If I can't run, you can't run. Deal?" She asks me pulling back from my grip and holding out a hand to shake. I give a quick chuckle and take her hand.

"No more running" I seal the statement with a shake of the hand. She seals it by pulling me in and kissing me gently.

* * *

><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

It hurts that she is so willing to believe that I could turn on her so easily. It hurts because not only does it prove that she doesn't fully trust me, but also because it shows me that her abandonment issues are still present. I though that because she was acting so loving and trusting that they had disappeared. I realize now that was just my naivety taking form.

She has been abandoned by the two most important people in her life, that doesn't just go away over night. My hope that it would, clouded my perception. I'm not trying to downplay how far she has come. She has been able to make friends and trust them with not only her feelings but with Skylar's as well. She is definitely getting better, but this has proven to me that she's just not there yet.

"Rachel, tell me about the song." I request.

The song had been so deep and it honestly gave me a bigger insight on how she is feeling than her words ever could. It was beautiful but so sad.

"What about it? I wrote it right after I had gotten to Pittsburgh as a way to express myself and spend my time. I told you I had to be away from the house, I needed to do something." She tells me in a small voice.

"Who was it about?" I ask curiously.

"Back then? My dads, my friends, Jesse, Shelby.. Skylar." She tells me "Anyone who I had let down or hurt or had dismissed me." She finishes while looking me in th eyes.

My heart is breaking. Because she was in so much pain and yet so alone back then, but mostly because I wasn't included in that, because I was too afraid to face _my _mistakes and admit my feelings. If I had handled this whole thing differently back then, who knows what would have happened.

"Now? You, me, Skylar." She says looking down.

"Santana the thought of breaking up with you… it kills me." She says. "The possibility that I had ruined our family, pained me so much I can't even find words to describe it. The worst pain though, that came from seeing you so upset in Shelby's office. Knowing that I messed up so much that I caused that. The worst part is that I can't promise that I won't hurt you again. In fact there is a good chance that I will unintentionally hurt you again, but I never want to be the cause of it again." She says without looking up at me.

I move close to her and lift her head to look me in the eyes. "You can't, and neither can I. But we can promise each other to always work though the issues rather than leave them to simmer and explode. You shouldn't have kicked me out Rachel, and you probably should have listened before exploding, but I should have talked to you about all of this instead of just trying to find a solution on my own. If we would have sat down and talked about our expectations for our sexual relationship, this entire thing could have been avoided. That's on me." I tell her, now wishing more than ever that I would have not been so awkward about this entire thing.

She nods and pulls me in for another long, tight hug. I hold her for dear life for as long as she'll let me. We don't talk, we don't do anything in fact, just stand there, holding each other. A few minutes later she pulls back and has a soft smile on her face, which quickly turns into a smirk.

"What are your 'expectations for our sexual relationship'?" She asks with a giggle.

"Wow I'm starting to sound more and more like you everyday." I joke back.

"Yes you are." She giggles before becoming more somber, but still saving a small smile. "Seriously though, what are your expectations?" She asks.

I let out a sigh. "I want nothing more than to make love to you right here on the stage Rae, but some of the stuff that Shelby said yesterday really hit home for me. They forced me to rethink and reevaluate." I tell her. Her smile disappears.

"Shelby should keep her mouth shut. This has nothing to do with her, Santana. This is between you and me, no one else." She tells me sternly.

"I'm not saying that it isn't. All I am saying is that she made a few points that make sense. Rachel, you literally don't remember your first time, and even if you did I gaurentee that Jesse was selfish in his attempt to get off. That is not what you deserve, and I'm almost positive you were emotionally ready for it to happen. Am I wrong?" I ask.

"You're not wrong, but at the same time I didn't love him Santana. I wasn't even with him." She argues looking me dead in the eyes.

"That's fine, and that makes sense, but can you honestly look me in the eyes right now and tell me that you're are ready now? Not physically. Leave the physicality out of it all together. Are you emotionally ready to take that step?" I ask her seriously.

She looks down at her hands and starts fidgeting. I can tell that she's embarrassed.

She struggles for something to say at first, but then finally sighs "No, I don't think I am." She says quietly, her voice filled with embarrassment.

"Hey look at me." I tell her and wait for her to raise her eyes to meet mine. When she doesn't right away I bend my knees so that I can look her in the eyes easier. "I'm not ready either honestly." I tell her and her eyes finally snap up to mine.

"What do you mean? Do you not find me attractive?" She starts to go off again. I quickly put an end to it.

"You are so amazingly beautiful that it takes my breath away Rae. It's just that I've never been in love with anyone the way I am with you. It scares me how much love I have for you, and I don't want to taint that by having a less than perfect first time. It scares me and therefore makes me have to take a step back and wait for the fears and insecurities to go away. When we are both ready, we can talk about it again, but I think for now it's best if we just cool it a little." I tell her. I choose to leave out that Shelby opened my eyes to this, since that seems to set her off for some reason.

"What do you mean precisely when you say cool it?" She asks warily.

"Well…" I start with a smirk as I move so that our bodies are flush against each other. "I think we should still allow this…" I say as I move to kiss her deeply.

When we both run out of oxygen we break the kiss. "I like that." She says with a smirk to match mine. "What about this…?" She asks while leaning in to kiss and nip at my neck right on my pulse point.

I can't help the moan that leaves my lips and I can feel her smirk against my skin. "That's totally still permissible." I say.

"And this?" She asks against my neck as her hand slowly makes it's way under my shirt and towards my chest. I can tell that she is going slow in case I tell her no.

"I don't see why not." I tell her and again I feel her lips turn up against my neck.

"Sand Bags, Streisand! Stop making out down there and get to class!" Sues voice booms through the auditorium.

Rachel and I jump apart and look around the auditorium to find the source of the voice but see nothing.

"I may have also installed a microphone in the auditorium as another way to mess with Shuester." She adds as a disclaimer. Both Rachel and I start cracking up at this and yell our goodbyes to the empty auditorium as we make our way towards the cafeteria since we still have fifteen minutes left of lunch.

All throughout lunch I can tell that everyone wants to ask questions, but they are holding back. I am grateful that they seem to understand that now is not the time. I am fully aware that every single one of them will ask one of us about it at some point, but I'm just glad to be able to ignore the issue for right now.

Rachel seems a little off still. She doesn't seem upset with me, but I can tell that the gears are moving in her head. I can usually tell what she is thinking about but for some reason right now I can't tell and it's rather disconcerting. I know that her thoughts aren't about her second-guessing our conversation though because before separating after lunch she pushes me up against the lockers and forcibly kisses me. Not that I'm complaining, _at all_, but it does manage to make me feel even more uneasy for some reason.

I meet Rachel at her locker after last period and then we walk to the auditorium for glee. As soon as we walk into the auditorium, Rachel's demeanor changes from relaxed to tense. I have a feeling that whatever was going on in lunch is going to unravel here. I just wish that I knew what to expect. I have an idea, but I really hope I'm wrong.

We sit down in the seats and talk amongst ourselves while waiting for Shelby to show up. She is never late, so we're all kind of confused by her tardiness. Next to me Rachel is acting as if nothing is up as she giggles at something Mike says. She keeps teetering between normal and unnerving and it's making me dizzy. She straightens and becomes tightlipped again once Shelby finally walks in. My instincts are starting to seem more and more correct.

"Alright guys, lets get started." Shelby yells in her stern coach voice to shut us all up. It is pretty much the only time she talks to us like that.

After we all turn our attention to her, she walks to the edge of the stage and sits down with her legs dangling over. After everything that we had heard about the Vocal Adrenaline, it still surprises me that she is so relaxed with us. Don't get me wrong she still gets the job done and when needed, she will turn into the hard ass coach we all heard about, but she is able to relax and have fun with us most of the time.

"So I know I said this at dinner yesterday, but you honestly all blew me out of the water at Sectionals. We definitely left our mark on the Show Choir world, and let them know we're here!" She says excitedly, earning cheers. "Alright so most of you know the drama that surrounded the competition and the little visitor that Shuester invited." She starts and I'm glad that she is telling us what came of this because I have been anxious to find out. I hear a few growls and huffs come from behind us where all the Cheerios are seated, it makes me smile that they are so protective of Rachel too. "I went to Mr. Figgins this morning to have a talk with him about what Will has been up to these last few months and he agrees that it is unacceptable. That being said, he has been put on notice and if he comes up to any of you about anything other then Spanish class, he will be promptly fired." She says in an annoyed tone. I can tell that she is upset that he wasn't fired on the spot.

"That's crap! He's been at this for months, and bringing Jesse here should have been the final straw! Why is he getting another chance?" Puck yells while standing up.

"Puckerman sit down. He wasn't fired on the spot because the complaints weren't filed when they originally happened. They all went down in one incident report so until they can assess his career he is staying. That being said, if during the assessment they find any other reason that he should be terminated, he will be." She tells us, earning more cheers throughout the crowd.

Rachel hasn't said anything or even shown any emotions during this entire speech. In fact she doesn't even look to be listening. She is simply sitting up straight in her chair with her arms folded, a scowl on her face, as she looks just above Shelby's head. This is not going to be good.

"Alright we need to start working on things for Regionals now. If we were able to do that well at Sectionals with such little prep time, just imagine how great we can be with a little bit more! And we'll need it too because the competition for Regionals isn't going to be as easy." She says while standing up and brushing off her bottoms.

"We do however have a new member applicant. This group was started under the notion that it should be somewhere for you guys to feel comfortable with your teammates, and honestly I didn't think it was going to work out too well since I know that there has always been animosity between the Cheerios and the glee club in the past. But the way you guys banded together and worked together showed me that it is definitely possible. That being said, I want you guys to have a say in who your new members are going to be. Normally I would have new members sing, but we have all heard her sing before so I'm skipping that this time. Quinn Fabray has asked to join the Trouble Tones guys, and I want for there to be a vote on whether she is allowed to join. She is standing outside so if you vote yes then she will be allowed into the practice and will be a member from now on, if you vote no I will let her know and that will be that. She will not know who voted what, just that she was allowed in or not. So on that note, everyone who says yes, raise your hands." She tells us.

No one moves, they all look directly to Rachel to see what her thoughts on the subject are. It's not a secret that there has always been tension between Rachel and Quinn, aka that Quinn has been a flaming bitch to Rachel. Even with the mall trip were not sure how Rachel would feel about this. She had told me that she told Shelby to let her in if she asked, but that doesn't mean that she will necessarily vote the girl in. But at the same time, if she doesn't, no one will.

A second later, Rachel's hand goes up and it is closely followed by Tina's, Mike's, Puck's, Brittany's (whose hand was now up in the air and being waved around excitedly), and mine. I look behind us and slowly almost all of the Cheerios' hands are going up as well, save for a few of the older members who I'm positive Quinn pissed off in her time as captain.

"Alrighty then." Shelby says before disappearing behind the curtain. She reappears a second later with Quinn by her side. "Let's all welcome our newest member!" She calls out and we all cheer our welcomes to Quinn, who looks ecstatic to be here. I am happy that she is happy.

"Alright you can go join the group Quinn. Rachel and Santana can you come up here so we can talk about different ideas for the next competition? The rest of you can either leave and come back in half an hour or you can hang around here." She tells us. Most people just turn towards their friends to talk.

I stand up and turn to Rachel who still hasn't moved a muscle. I hold out my hand to help her up but she just looks at it and then returns her eyes to their previous position.

"Rae, come on don't do this." I try. I don't get any response.

"Santana, Rachel, come on." Shelby calls for us again.

"Rae, whatever your problem is, don't let it affect the Trouble Tones. You're the captain, these girls look up to you." I reason.

It seems to work to because she looks around her and sees that most people in the room are looking at her questioningly. Finally she stands up and, subconsciously or not, rubs down her jeans very similarly to the way Shelby just did. As we make our way to the stage, Rachel stays a few steps behind me.

"Checking out my assets back there?" I joke hoping to get a reaction out of her. Honestly her cold and stony features are starting to creep me out. Rachel has always been a bubbly person, and even when she's upset she is never like this. Luckily my joke seems to do the trick and her lips turn up into a small smile. I smile back at her and reach my hand back asking for hers, which she quickly obliges.

When we get onto the stage, Shelby is eyeing us wearily.

"Did you guys work everything out?" Shelby asks when we are closer to her. Obviously she doesn't have the same sixth sense as our friends do. Unfortunately I fear that she is the worst person to be lacking this sense right now.

I start to answer her but Rachel quickly cuts me off. "No thanks to you, and not that it is any of your business, but we're fine. Moving on." She snaps at the glee coach.

"Wow. Ok, I'm not sure how this is my fault, but fine moving on." I close my eyes because that is about the worst thing she could have said at this point. I know she's new to the whole 'mother to a teenager' thing, but she was a teenager before right? She should know that that attitude is only going to further piss Rachel off.

"How is this your fault? Are you serious right now? This is _all_ your fault!" She hisses.

"How is this my fault?" The oldest brunette questions confused.

"If you would have just kept your god damn mouth shut, none of this would have fucking happened!" She yells. Everyone behind us goes quiet.

"What did I even do? Keep my mouth shut about what?" Shelby asks in a raised voice. I am almost positive that neither of them realizes that we have an audience. When I try to tell them though I am swiftly cut off.

"About Santana's and my relationship! It is none of your business, so I don't know why you're putting your nose where it doesn't belong!" She yells back at her mother.

"Are you talking about the talk at the mall? You knew that was going to happen! I told you that on the phone!" Shelby argues. Really don't want our entire glee club knowing that I got a sex talk by our coach.

"Guys maybe you should calm down and we should take this somewhere else." I try, but it doesn't look like anyone is listening to me.

"I thought it was going to be a light heated 'don't have sex' type of talk or at worst the 'don't touch my daughter or else' type of talk! Not the 'my daughter isn't ready for sex and you will ruin her if you go there with her' kind of talk! Who even says that? And who do you think you are? You don't even fucking know me! You come back into my life two months ago and all of a sudden you think you're this great mother who has the _right_ to make decisions for me? I don't think so Shelby! You're barely even my fucking mother, so stay the hell out of my personal life!" Rachel screams.

The shocked and broken expression on Shelby's face is heart breaking. I can't believe that Rachel just said that. I knew I should have had a talk with her about this before coming back to school, but everything was good yesterday and then today everything went to shit so quickly that I never really had a chance. Now Rachel is seething and Shelby is heart broken and I'm not sure what to do.

When Rachel gears up to turn the knife I quickly step in.

"Enough!" I say in a stern voice that makes my girlfriend stop and look at me. I grab her by the arm and pull her away from Shelby.

"Look at her Rachel. Look what you just did." I whisper to her and push her head so that she can take in her mother standing with tears in her eyes and a hurt expression on her face. Shelby still hasn't moved. She is standing in the same exact position she was in when Rachel last spoke.

"Rachel I know that your angry, but she didn't do anything wrong. She was just looking out for you. For both of us." I tell her softly and I see her finally focus her eyes on the woman and actually process everything going on.

Rachel takes in the statue that is her mother and a loud sob leaves her. She quickly falls to the floor and I grab her just in before she hits the ground.

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><p><strong>Song is Get it Right by Glee... couldn't help but use it lol<strong>

**Hope you all like it :) Please leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	29. Chapter 29

_****_**I am SOOOO sorry this chapter took so long. I underestimated how busy and crazy this week was going to be and I didn't really have time to write. When i did I would just stare at the screen trying to figure out what to write. It was bad. Either way, I'm sorry for the delay, and I would love to say it wont happen again, but I cant promise that these next 2 weeks are NUTS for me so its most likely going to be a slow updating time. **

**This chapter heavily concentrates on Shelby.. I think it was needed so that you guys understand her side of the story. :)**

**I want to say a HUGE thanks to everyone how reviewed, alerted, and favorited this fic! For the people who reviewed last chapter, Im sorry I haven't gotten around to responding to all of them, I am trying, but again I've been busy. I will get to them though I promise!**

**I want to say thanks to ToastedMarshmellow08, RUMad, and ****Pezberrylover0612 for supporting and insiring me to write! without them I probably still wouldnt have been updating.**

**Last person I want to thank is my awesome beta GE0309! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

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><p><em><strong>C<strong>__**hapter 29**_

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

Everyone who had been shocked still in the audience seemed to jump into action all at once.

The Cheerios seem to be asking the others whether there is anything to do because Brittany shakes her head and they all disappear out the back doors of the auditorium. Quinn and Brittany quickly make their way onto the stage and grab ahold on Shelby's arms and walk her off the stage and a few seconds later I hear the left stage door slam shut.

Mike, Tina and Puck make their way to us and kneel in front of where I'm holding Rachel.

"Rae, it's going to be alright. Just calm down." I try to tell her.

"How is it going to be ok? She is going to hate me! She is going to leave now! What have I done?" She cries into my shoulder.

"She's not going to leave, Rachel. She cares about you a lot." Puck tries to convince her. Rachel just shakes her head against my chest and doesn't respond.

"Guys can I talk to Rachel alone for a little while please?" I ask and they all quickly get the message and stand up and leave, letting us know that they will wait outside.

I reluctantly pull Rachel away from my body so that I can better talk to her. I think it's about time that I finally had this conversation with her.

"Rae, why are you pushing her away?" I ask.

"What? I'm not!" She argues.

"Yes you are Rachel. I can see it, and more importantly she can see it." I tell her and she looks down at her hands ashamed. "Rae, she loves you. You know that I was worried about her coming back too, but I think she's done enough to prove her loyalty to you. She loves you and she wants to be your mother. Hell you've been acting like she is your mother lately, but I think you've been doing it subconsciously, because when you actually realize how close you two have gotten you freak out and say some backhanded comment to try and push her away." I tell her.

"That's not true!" She says indignantly.

"Rae after I talked to Shelby yesterday you were so quick to think that she had done something to hurt me. You jumped down her throat before even figuring out what was going on." I explain trying to get her to see my point.

"And obviously I had a reason to." She argues back.

"No you didn't! My talk with Shelby was not something you had a right to get mad about Rachel! She didn't say anything bad about you; she was protecting you and looking out for you. Just like a mother should." I dispute.

"And yet instead of having it with me she had it with you!" She screams before processing her own words and looking down at her hands.

"Is that what this whole thing is about? You're upset that she had a sex talk with me and not you?" I ask softly. I should have seen it sooner; of course that's what she's upset about.

When Rachel doesn't respond or even look up at me, I continue. "Rae you knew that that talk was going to happen. You were the one to set it up for us." I reason.

"It was supposed to be embarrassing and funny. She wasn't supposed to tell _you _how you deserve to be treated with respect and love, not that I'm saying that you don't. But that's what a mother is supposed to tell her daughter, not her daughter's girlfriend." Rachel explains and from her voice I can tell that she is fighting back tears, even though I can't see her face. Even through all of her hurt, it is still brutally clear that she is beyond confused, like she is still trying to figure out what is going on.

"Am I wrong? Is that not what a mother is supposed to do? What a parent is supposed to do? I never really had any suitors that warranted this type of talk from my fathers. Well not until it was too late. All the movies have the parents having the talk with the kid though not the significant other. So why would she not want to have it with me? Why would she have rather talked to you?"

She sounds like a little child trying to figure out a math problem four years above their grade level. As if she could figure it all out if she just talked through it, but there are major lessons that haven't been learned yet that make it impossible for them to figure out the true answer.

"Your mom went and talked to my dad that day Rae. I think Shelby had every intention of having an overly embarrassing talk about the birds and the bees with me when she was talking to you. My dad sent her to have that particular talk with me. Honestly I have no clue how all this is supposed to work with a mother. I haven't got one of those, and there are certain things that a dad just can't do no matter how hard he tries. My dad sent her to have a serious talk with me Rachel, and while she was doing my dad a favor she was still making sure that I knew that I had better watch out for you. So from where I stand, it looks like she was doing the mother thing."

Rachel doesn't say anything for a while, nor does she look up from the stage, instead she just silently sits there. The only reason I know that she is crying is because her shoulders are violently shaking. All I want to do right now is pull her into my lap and hold her tight, but I think she needs to work through this on her own.

Finally over a minute later she finally looks up and into my eyes. "I am _so _sorry that I have been so insensitive about this entire thing with you. Sure things have been rocky between Shelby and I but I never even thought about how my actions and words were effecting you. I am such a self-centered bitch that I couldn't even see that my girlfriend was going to get hurt by my actions. What the hell is wrong with me?" As she goes on her eyes drift away from mine and to the right of my head. After asking the question her eyes snap back to mine and she looks like a scared child.

"Can you ever forgive me?" She asks in a small scared voice.

"There is nothing to forgive Rachel. That is a part of my life that I have not really opened up about with you yet. If anything I should be apologizing since you have gone out on limb after limb telling me about your past and I haven't returned that favor." I tell her realizing that I had honestly completely ignored the subject of my mother with Rachel. How could I expect her to tell me everything when I haven't been holding up my end of the bargain?

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to Santì. I never asked because it never seemed like something your father or you wanted to talk about." She tells me scooting closer to me so that her left knee and thigh somewhat locked between mine, not enough to be sexual but more than enough to be supportive.

"I want to tell you, and I will, but right now we need to figure out how to fix things between you and Shelby." I am not even trying to avoid the subject anymore, I just think that right now there are more pressing matters.

"She is never going to forgive me Santì. What I said was awful! I feel like within the last few days I've been standing at the top of a mountain and throwing barrels at everyone who tries to get close to me." She says sadly. Even though this is a serious conversation, I can't help but smirk at her reference.

I give myself time to recompose before speaking again. "She'll forgive you, that's what moms do. You just need to talk to her about how you're feeling and apologize for how you've been acting." I tell her while running my fingers through her hair.

"How do I even go about doing that? I was such a bitch to her, and I jumped down her throat yesterday about everything. Why would she forgive me for that?" She asks as tears fill her eyes again.

"Because I'm your mother." Shelby says from backstage, announcing her presence.

The smaller brunette whips around to face the newest entrant. "How long have you been there?" She asks quickly.

"I only came in when you asked why I would forgive you." She explains as she walks further into the room. As soon as the auditorium lights hit her it is clear that she has been crying. Her eyes are puffy and her tear tracks are visible, it's actually kind of strange how much she and Rachel look alike even while they're crying.

"Rachel, there is _nothing_ you can do that would warrant me to leave again. There is _nothing_ you can do that would make me love you any less. Please believe that if you have any issue about anything that all you have to do is come to me and we can work it out. I may not be happy about something that we need to discuss, but I will never dismiss it. I am your mother, and I want to be your mom. In order to do that we need to trust each other." She continues as she finally reaches where Rachel and I are still sitting on the floor.

She kneels down next to her daughter and wipes her tears away from her eyes with the pad of her thumb.

"I want you to be my mom too, but I'm still afraid." Rachel admits.

"That's completely understandable, but if you're afraid then you need to talk to someone. I would prefer you come to me if you're worried about something regarding our relationship but if you don't feel comfortable with that yet, then please at least talk to Santana. Bottling it in ends in the bottle being shaken and then exploding." Shelby tells her.

"I'm afraid that if I unleash my crazy on you, you'll realize why you left the first time." She tells her and then looks down at my hand, which I had just laid on her knee for support. "And the second." She adds quietly.

"Sweetie the first time I left I most certainly did not want to. I was young and naive when I answered your fathers' ad. I was only thinking about the money. They forced me to sign a contract when I agreed to be their surrogate and I thought nothing of it. Within the first month of pregnancy I realized the mistake I had made.

"Before the end of my first trimester I was already trying to find a way to go against the contract and keep you. There was no way around it though. When you were born, I didn't even get to hold you, but that bond we had forged was solidified completely for me when I looked at you through the mess of nurses cleaning you up and you turned your little head and looked back at me.

"I lost it, Rachel, I stopped eating or taking care of myself. I ended up on suicide watch because doctors thought that I was intentionally trying to starve myself to death. It took me months to even start to get my life back on track and _years_ to feel remotely ok.

"When I saw you sing at Sectionals two years ago…" She fades out as a huge smile forms on her lips. "There are no words to describe how I was feeling. I felt like my life had worked out in order for me to find you that way. I was so excited and I just needed you to come to me because that was the loophole, at least that's what I thought. Jesse fucked everything up. He was supposed to _befriend you_ nothing more. When he went against my orders I had no choice other then to go with it. He honestly was my only chance and he knew it, so he took everything he could get. When I knew that you had finally listened to the tape, I felt like my plan had finally worked. All the pain, sorrow, heartbreak, and hard work had culminated in me _finally _getting my little girl back.

"When Jesse came back to Vocal Adrenaline though I punished him for deceiving me and for causing you the hurt that I knew was going to happen as soon as you found out that he jumped ship again. He didn't appreciate that too much. He went to your fathers and explained to them what I had done. They were livid; they showed up after school the day before you, Quinn and Mercedes snuck into that practice.

"They threatened to sue me, which I promptly told them to do. I would pay all the money in the world to have you in my life. Hiram then went on to tell me that if I didn't leave you alone that they would make sure that they moved you far enough away that I would never be able to find you again. I figured that I could still find you though, so it didn't do much to persuade me to back off.

"Leroy however spoke to my maternal side. He told me that if they uprooted you because of me, I would only be serving to steal you away from your friends, and your life. He told me about how happy you were and how you would be miserable elsewhere. That was enough to get me thinking. They both left with smug smiles on their faces.

"When you showed up the next day, I was torn. I didn't know what to do. I refused to just blow you off without talking to you though, so we sat down. What you said about your dads though really helped me to make my decision. It made me believe that your fathers knew what they were doing with you and that they knew you better than I did so I should just do what they say. So I excused myself and left. I went home and cried myself to sleep.

"By the end of the Lady Gaga week, I thought that I had made a mistake. I wanted so much to just go to your house and work something out with you and your fathers, but then yet again Jesse stepped up with something to foil yet another plan. His egging incident managed to give your dads enough ammunition to keep me away. Hiram told me that if I came near you again that he would tell you that Jesse tried to refuse to egg you and that I forced him to.

"Regionals came and I realized that there was nothing I could do, I was stuck. Then you told me about Beth and I decided that I wanted to help that little girl to _never_ feel like you did, nor did I want Noah or Quinn to feel the way I did. I had also hoped that adopting that little girl would mend my heart from my second heartbreak with you. Instead I managed to grow a second heart for Beth and still managed to keep my bleeding heart thinking of you." Shelby explains as tears cascade down her cheeks, not that Rachel or I are fairing any better.

I now know where Rachel gets her dramatics and longwinded stories. I also see where she got her storytelling from because honestly, that is one of the most touching and heart wrenching stories I've ever heard. My heart hurts just thinking about what Shelby went though, and what Rachel's dads did to not only Shelby but to their little girl as well. By keeping the two apart all they managed to do was light the spark that would later become the forest fire that is my girlfriend's abandonment issues. Not to mention the fact that the way Shelby came and went forever left questions and doubts in Rachel's head about her inadequacy.

The biggest irony of the entire thing is that Hiram and Leroy chased Shelby away only to abandon their daughter less than a year later. If they hadn't had their heads so far up their asses then maybe Shelby could have been there for Rachel when all the shit went down. Half of it would have never happened. How could they look themselves in the mirror after depriving their daughter the chance to get to know her mother? After forcing their little girl to go through a traumatic experience that caused her to feel unwanted and unloved. Not to mention adding onto those feelings themselves. If I ever see those men again, they'll wish they never did anything to my perfect girlfriend.

"I… I don't even know what to say. I'm sorry that you went through all of that. I'm sorry that my dads put you through all of that. Why didn't you tell me that before?" Rachel asks in a small, confused voice.

"Because when I first came back I thought your fathers were still around. I figured that I shouldn't cause problems if I wanted to be allowed to remain in your life. I just thought that they had come to their senses and I wasn't about to press my luck. After you told me what happened, we were already making leeway in our bonding. I didn't want to tell you all that and have you think that I was only trying to get sympathy from you or something, or like I was attacking your fathers."

I scoff at the last part. I've been trying to stay quiet though all of this, but why the hell would Rachel care if someone was attacking her fathers?

"I appreciate that, and I can understand where you are coming from. I should have spoken up sooner and this could have all been avoided." Rachel says as she wipes the tears off her face and makes to stand up.

I grab her arm so she can't get up. She's crazy if she thinks I'm going to let her slide like that. She needs to have this conversation and it is going to happen now. Shelby may not realize that she is just putting up walls right now and trying to avoid the subject, but I do, and I won't allow it.

"Rach, you and I are so similar. When I get put in a situation that I find awkward, I try to run and hide. I usually find it easier to fake being fine then to actually deal with my problems. This isn't one of those situations though. We need to talk about your insecurities and they need to be dealt with. Now. If not they will just grow and boil over like they did today. And if the last few months have taught me anything, it's that you lash out when you start getting overly insecure or overly scared. So please, do try to avoid it, just tell me what's on your mind so we can talk about it." Shelby pleads. I'm impressed that she realized what Rachel was doing; Rachel is such a great actress that she plays her role impeccably and unnoticeably.

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

"Fine," I say begrudgingly, knowing that I am not getting away from here without talking. "I don't understand. If you say that you've always wanted to be my mother, then why would you chose to have 'the talk' with Santana instead of me? Isn't that, like, a rite of passage for parents and kids? Why wouldn't you want to have that talk with me?" I ask starting to get upset again.

I completely believe everything that Shelby just told me; there was too much emotion in it for it to be faked. Even she isn't that good of an actress; I don't even think Barbra could have pulled that off. That being said, it doesn't make things any less confusing to me. Ok, maybe it does a little – ok a lot – but that doesn't make the current situation any less comprehensive.

"Rachel I was planning on having that conversation with you too. The talk with Santana wasn't supposed to be as deep as it was, because I'm not her mother and I didn't think it was my place. I.. uh.. I was with Santana's father when I got that call and when I got off I was amused and decided to tell him about it. He told me a little bit about their past and asked me to help out because he knew that Santana needed a mother figure in this situation, not a father. I agreed. As for the conversation I was hoping to have with you – well I was a bit more nervous about that one. I was afraid of how you would react. I kept picturing you either laughing in my face because you thought it was funny that I was trying to act like a mother to you or screaming at me for overstepping my boundaries and trying to push you to hard. The plan was to talk to you before talking to Santana yesterday at the mall, but I chickened out. Then proceeded to chicken out five or six more times yesterday and four or five times today." Shelby says with a little, self-deprecating chuckle and a shake of the head.

"You were going to have the talk with me?" I ask hopefully, while still trying to protect myself from disappointment.

"That was the plan. For some reason, telling your girlfriend to just wait until you're both ready was a lot easier then it is to tell you. Whenever I tried to think up a way to tell you that, it always comes out closer to 'no sex. Ever.' I figured if you did allow the talk to happen you wouldn't take to kindly to that." Shelby says with a little laugh. "I swear though Rachel, I will do anything to make you feel comfortable and to make you believe that I am here to stay. If you want to move in with me so that I can prove that to you, I already have a room cleared out waiting for you." She says with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

"You cleared out a room specifically for me?" I ask confused again.

"Yes, as soon as you told me that your fathers had left. I would never force you to stay with me, but I figured it would be nice if you had the option. If you ever decided that you wanted to, then I wanted to make sure I was ready. Does you asking mean that you're considering it?" She asks as her hopefulness visibly doubles. I feel really bad turning her down now.

"I can't move in with you Shelby. For one I don't want to uproot Skylar a second time. And I also like living on my own. I don't think I would be able to live with an adult again." I say trying to get away without telling her why.

Her disappointment is made obvious by her slumped shoulders and the look in her eyes, but she stays stoic. "Yeah, no I get that. Just figured that I would give you that option." She says with a smile. "Is there anything else you want to talk about?" She asks.

"I don't think so. If there is anything else I think of though, I promise to come talk to you or Santana about it. I truly am sorry for my outburst today, not only was it ridiculously unprofessional and public, it was also unnecessary and mean. Santana helped me realize that I have been lashing out at you a lot and I am going to make a conscious effort to stop, I promise." I assure.

I seriously can't believe that I let myself get to the point that I lashed out like that. I used to make sure that I always talked through my emotions. I was the queen of talking about emotions. But after everything that happened, it's just hard for me anymore. For some reason in my brain it seems more logical then keeping in my craziness and letting it come out in bursts is a better way to keep people away compared to just talking though the problem in the first place.

"It's fine Rachel. Everything will get better; it's just going to take time. This is still a huge adjustment for both of us, but we'll get the hang of it." Shelby says running her fingers through my hair.

"Ok now that this mushy crap is over I have a question." Santana says from behind me.

"What's that?" I ask, craning my head to look at her.

"What they hell were you doing with my dad after you guys left that night, and why the hell was he here today?" She asks and I turn around quickly to see Shelby's reaction. I hadn't even really thought about any of that.

"Saturday night he was actually giving me the 'you hurt her and I'll make you pay' speech in regards to my intentions with Rachel." Shelby explains with a smile and a quick laugh. "He was here today though to make sure everything was ok with my talk with you." She says looking at Santana. "He's worried about you Santana, he knows that you're keeping stuff inside so not to upset him. He came today to see how you reacted yesterday since you showed no emotions when you came home." Shelby explains with a hint of a motherly warning mixed with concern.

"I don't want to worry him. He has enough to worry about, and I'll be fine, I just have some hard days mixed in with my great ones." Santana says looking down at the sliver of space between us.

I really wish I knew more about what happened in the past. If I'm being completely honest, I'm a little jealous that Shelby knows more than me. I just find it strange that my mother knows more than I do about Santana's past.

"He is going to worry more without you talking to him. Just give him a chance to prove that he is strong enough to support you and him both. That's what fathers are supposed to do." Shelby says, oblivious about what her statement just did to me. I stay stoic and keep my show face on so I don't cause any warning bells, this is about Santana not me.

"I'll try and talk to him more." Santana agrees, though I'm about 95% sure that she is just trying to placate Shelby right now.

"That's all I can ask." Shelby says with a kind smile.

"So you're not dating my dad though right?" Santana asks bluntly. I am quite curious about that as well.

"I would be lying if I said that I wasn't attracted to him," Shelby stops but is cut off by Santana and I both 'ew'ing at that statement. Shelby rolls her eyes but continues "but no we are not dating, we are just friends." She finishes.

"Ok good because it would be a little weird if my dad was dating my girlfriend's mom." Santana says succinctly and as I think about it I realize how strange that would be. If they were to get married I'd be dating my stepsister… ew.

"Definitely" I agree with a shutter.

"Well you have nothing to worry about." Shelby laughs, but then adopts a serious expression. "Can I hug you now?" She asks me while starting to stand up.

I giggle a little because I'm pretty sure I've said something along those lines before. But then I nod and stand and fall into her embrace. She holds onto my tightly and I bury my head in her shoulder, soaking in all the attention and love that I can. I honestly love this feeling, which is what scared me so much.

"Sorry to interrupt" I hear Noah announce from back stage. "We were just wondering if we should stick around to actually practice or if we should all just head back home."

"What do you think?" Shelby asks me.

"No use wasting an entire practicing day now that were fine." I say with a shrug. She nods and turns to look at Noah again.

"Alright bring everyone in." She yells to him.

A second later all of the Trouble Tones starts filing in.

"Yay! Everything is good again!" Brittany exclaims. Her smile quickly fades into a pout as she says "I don't like seeing Coach C or Rachie sad." Quinn just nods and leads her back to the seats they were sitting in before my little outburst.

From there the practice was actually really good. It may not have been to productive since we never ended up picking songs for regionals, but we all goofed around and had a good time while singing and dancing.

**The reference to an old video game is dedicated to ToastedMarshmellow08! Did anyone catch it and know the video game its referring to?**

**Thanks for reading! I hope that you all liked it and that it was worth the wait.. I know it was a lot of Shelby talking, but i wanted to give you a glimpse of her past the way I see it lol**

**Please review and let me know what you think!**


	30. Chapter 30

**OMG! I am seriously sooo sorry for that long wait! getting ready for my trip took more time than i thought it would an then i couldnt write while on vacation and when I got back I could not get back in the right mindset to get the chapter done. Either way these are all just excuses and I'm sorry, I should have managed my time better and had things to upload while on vacation :/**

**This chapter is actually a bit shorter than normal also.. but I wanted to get this out since I have been making you guys wait so long.. **

**This chapter ended up being a lot more dramatic than I expected it to lol.. the next chapter at the least will be super fluffy :)**

**Thank you to my beta GE0309 for getting this back to me so quickly and everything she does! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own glee**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 30<strong>_

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

After all the drama that went down before practice today, I was happy to get to go home and just relax with Santana and Skylar. When we pull up to the house, I don't get out right away, instead I just grab ahold of Santana's hand and look her in the eyes.

"Thank you for putting up with all my crazy lately Santì. I know I have been going a bit nuts, but you have been absolutely amazing. I just wanted to tell you that I love you and am so grateful for you." I confess with a small smile, which Santana quickly matches.

Without hesitation, Santana leans in and captures my lips. I instantly return the kiss with fervor. The confinement of the car is not really the most ideal place to have a make-out session though and soon we decide to get out and relocate.

As soon as we walk in the house, we are greeted with the sound of Skylar giggling loudly from the kitchen. When we walk into the room we see that Skylar and Barbara are dancing around the room goofily. Once the little girl sees us she squeals and giggles louder.

"Good afternoon girls." Barb greats as she stops her spinning and dancing.

"How did the rest of your day go?" the older woman asks carefully.

"It could have gone better, but in the end everything worked out." I answer as I feel Santana grip my hand. I look over to her and send her a smile while leaning into her side.

"I'm glad that the day ended better." Barb says with a smile. "But if you guys don't need anything else, I think I'm going to head out so that I can go see my sister." The woman says with a sad smile.

I feel terrible that such a nice woman has to go through such a horrible time. After quick goodbyes Barb is out the door.

Seeing the normally joyful woman so upset about her ill sister reminds me that Santana and I were supposed to talk about her mother. I can tell by the look in her eyes that she is remembering the same thing. She looks over to me and smiles sadly.

"I will get Skylar situated and then we can talk if you want." I offer. She just nods her response.

When I get back to the kitchen I see that Santana's eyes had dimmed from their usual brightness. She is looking ahead at nothing in particular with a thoughtful look on her face.

I take a step towards her and cup her cheek in my hand. "If you don't want to talk about this we don't have to Santì. This is your thing to tell, if you don't feel comfortable talking to me about it then I understand." I tell her.

"It's just not something I like talking about with anyone. It has nothing to do with you. I want to tell you though Rae. You deserve to get to know my past after you told me all of yours." She says sincerely.

"Being in a relationship doesn't mean that the score always has to be even Santana. Things like this are more complicated than that. I don't want to find out just because you feel like we're uneven, I want you to tell me because you _want_ to tell me and you feel like you can trust me with this information." I explain.

"I do want to tell you and I do trust you with everything, even this. It's just not something that is easy for me to talk about. I barely even talk to Papi about her." She says as tears fill her eyes.

"It's going to be alright Babe. Why don't we go upstairs and you can tell me whatever you feel comfortable talking about right now. There is no pressure. Ok?" I offer, and she nods before grabbing my hand and allowing me to lead her upstairs.

When we enter my room, I allow Santana to sit on the bed anyway that she wants to. I am willing to follow Santana's lead however she wants. When she sits on the edge of the bed, I quickly make my way over to the bed also and sit on the edge next to her. As soon as I'm seated, Santana reaches over and grabs ahold of my hand.

For over a minute, we just sit there in silence. She just stares at our hands and uses her free hand to softly rub the back of my hand.

"I had thought that she left us." She starts. "I was seven. Everything seemed perfect. That is until I came home from school and Papi told me that mom had left. I asked him where she went and when she would be coming back. He told me that he had no idea where she had gone off to and that there was a very good possibility that she wouldn't be coming back. I didn't understand; she was my Mami, the woman who I had grown up to idolize. Everything that she was, was perfect. I had always pictured growing up to be just like her. Same perfect marriage, same perfect looks, same perfect job, same perfect personality. There wasn't a bad thing that could be said about her back then. She was the best mother a girl could hope for honestly. I would always come home and she would be waiting with a snack, and once I was finished we would go do something special, just the two of us, until Papi got home and then we would all have dinner together." As she explains the childhood that I never knew she had, she has a reminiscent smile on her face.

It actually surprises me that her mother had left. Since the day we were all looking at old pictures, I had always assumed that Ms. Lopez had died. I don't know which is worse, being abandoned at seven or having your mother die.

"But the day I came home to find out that she was gone… I was devastated. Papi couldn't do anything to console me; all I wanted was my mom. After that, I started to convince myself that all my old memories were lies. No woman can be perfect and leave her family; I must have been seeing things that weren't really there. It had gotten to the point where I had convinced myself that she was a horrible person, someone I should be happy was gone." Santana shakes her head self-deprecatingly.

"Over a year later, I was called to the main office for a family emergency. I immediately started freaking out because at that point the way I saw it, I didn't have a family I had a Papi. So in my mind a family emergency meant that something happened to Papi. I was confused when I got into the office to see Papi standing there with tears in his eyes."

_They got into the car without saying a word to each other and once they are in they just sit. The Latino doesn't even move to start the car. An eight-year old Santana sat in the back seat of the BMW trying to figure out what was going on. If her Papi wasn't sick then what was wrong? What was worse was that her father never acted like this; he was always open and talkative. The only time he had ever been so tightlipped was when Santana had come home from school the year before to find out that her precious mother had left. The only question left in Santana's mind was: was he leaving now too?_

"_Papi…?" The small girl starts, but stops when she realizes she has no idea what she wants to ask. _

_The father turns around in his seat to look at his daughter. His eyes show so many emotions that it is impossible to pinpoint one. The little girl's worries only intensify. _

"_Tana…" The man starts but then cuts himself off. He tries to find the words he needs to explain this all to his daughter, but he has none. _

"_Papi, what's going on?" Santana asks in a small, frightened voice. "Are you going somewhere?" She asks._

"_No Queida no. Mija… it's your mother." He starts slowly. _

_The look on his daughters face darkens, and it breaks his heart. In the last year, he had been watching as Santana taught herself to coup with her mother's disappearance. He was well aware that his daughter had tried to coach herself to hate her mother, and that fact made this situation all that much harder. _

"_Tana, your mother was admitted to the hospital this morning." He starts, and almost breaks down in tears when he sees the conflict start to swirl in his little girl's eyes. _

"_For what?" She says while trying to keep her voice hard and unconcerned, even though they both know that she is worried for the woman she has tried so hard to not care about. Even at eight she tries to show the world that she can be unaffected by such things._

"_She's very sick Mija. She has been for quite awhile apparently."_

_Santana hesitates before answering. She doesn't know how to react to this news. Her Mami is sick, but she gets sick all the time and after Papi takes care of her she gets better, that's not too bad is it? She doesn't understand why her Papi looks so upset. _

"_But she'll be ok though right? She'll just have to drink some yucky medicine and then she'll get better?" The girl naïvely asks. _

"_Her sickness isn't as easy as that Tana. She is really sick, and there isn't really any medicine that can make her get better." The father tries to explain gently. He hates that he has to tell his daughter this, but knows that regardless of how he feels, he needs to be the one to tell her._

"_What do you mean Papi? Just give her all the medicine you have! Something has to make her better!" The girl exclaims, starting to get worried. _

_As much as she wants to hate her Mami for leaving her and her Papi, she couldn't and never would be able to. As much as she wants to act as though nothing phases her, this does. She needs her Mami back. _

_Tony gets out of the driver's seat and moves to sit in back with his daughter. "None of the medicine that we have will do anything to make her better Mija." Antonio says with tears pooling in his eyes. Having this conversation with anyone would serve to upset the man, but having to explain to his eight year old daughter that her mother, the woman who up and left last year, was inexplicably dying, was heartbreaking. _

"_But she won't die though right Papi? She'll get better, right? She just needs to lie on the couch for a few days and eat soup and watch cartoons! Right!" The girl asks becoming hysterical. _

_Tony grabs his daughter by the waist and swiftly tugs her so that she is sitting on his lap. He cradles the small girl in his arms, holding her tightly to his chest. "I'm _so_ sorry Mija, but I don't think it's going to work that way this time. She is too sick for cartoons and soup to fix." He tells her delicately. _

"_NO! No! She just came back! She can't leave me again Papi! I need my Mami! I need her! Make her better Papi! Please! She can't die! I need her!" The girl yells around sobs. _

_She doesn't understand what is going on right now. Why did her mom come back if she was only going to die? Why would she come back for that? What is going on?_

_Her father just held her tightly as she screamed and cried whispering quiet 'I'm sorry's in her ear. He could think of nothing he could do to make this better for her. A girl needs her Mami, she needs a woman to show her things that Papi's just couldn't show them, but there was nothing that could be done. The cancer had been eating away at his wife's body for two years now; she was too far-gone even if they had medicine to cure it. He just wished that his wife would've stuck around after finding out about the Cancer, that she would have stayed and helped their daughter to understand what to expect. That she hadn't left the burden on him to first explain to the seven year old that her Mami, the apple of her eye had left, and then explain to the eight year old that her Mami was back but would be gone again, for good this time._

"When I got to the hospital I didn't even know how to react. I didn't know whether I should hate her for what she was doing or hug her and tell her that I love her and will always love her. It was without a doubt the most confusing day of my life. Once we got into her room though I couldn't think to do anything but cry. She looked so tiny, so sick, and I couldn't take it. I took one step in the door and collapsed in the doorway." Santana explains as she looks down at her hands with a thoughtful but brokenhearted look on her face. I have tears streaming down my face as I think about the heartache and pain that my girlfriend had gone through during all of this.

"Papi picked me up and placed me on the bed with her. I was so worried that I would hurt her more that I tried to stay as still as possible, but after being assured that I would be fine as long as I didn't move around too much or touch any of the cords I quickly curled into her side and hugged her tight.

"She explained to me that she had left because she found out that she had cancer and thought it would be better for both Papi and I if she left to get treatment on her own. She said that she didn't want me to have to see her without hair and looking so weak. Apparently the cancer had metastasized though and she went down hill quickly. She hadn't even meant to end up in the hospital that day; evidently she had been in the area for a week and had been coming to see me when I was on recess. She told me that she just wanted to see me a few more times before she died. She hadn't made it to my school that day though, on her way her health took a turn for the worse and she ended up in the hospital. She wasn't even going to say goodbye before she died!" Santana exclaims with a loud sob.

I take my girlfriend into my arms so that her head is pressed against my chest. I don't even know what to say to her right now. I just want to be able to calm her down, but I have no words to help her. My usually verbose language is lost in this moment.

After a few more minutes she calms down to the point that she is only sniffling in my arms. When she finishes her story, her voice seems to have lost all emotion; it comes out as a creepily even tone. "Two hours after I got there, she died in my arms. I felt her pulse stop under my hand. Papi had to drag me out of the room so that the doctors could try to get her to breath again, but it was no use, she was gone."

A sob leaves my lips as I realize just how much Santana had gone through with her mother. No wonder she never wanted to talk about it. No wonder she had turned into the HBIC that she was at school. Anyone would have walls built after going through something like that.

"Santì I am _so _sorry that you had to go through that. I'm so sorry." It is all I can think to say. What else do you say to something like that?

"Can you just hold me?" Santana asks in a raspy voice, thick with emotions.

"Of course Baby." I tell her before moving to the head of the bed and leaning against it.

Santana quickly crawls up next to me and collapses in my arms and begins to start sobbing again. I run my hands through her hair and kiss the crown of her head occasionally while whispering soothing words to her, hoping that it will do even the slightest thing to try and console her and make her feel better. I wish I had never asked her to talk to me about this.

After twenty minutes of crying she finally calms down again, but even then she doesn't move out of my arms, not that I'm complaining. I hold her tightly to my chest as we just lay here together.

I am actually a bit startled when she starts talking again, not expecting to hear her voice. "It was breast cancer I later found out. Well at least it had started as breast cancer. I found out after going to the gynecologist for the first time. They found a lump in my left breast and with the history of breast cancer in the family, they needed to do a mastectomy." She tells me in a voice that I wouldn't even recognize due to all the crying.

"The breast augmentation." I say in realization. Of course I had heard the gossip about the boob job Santana had gotten during the summer before junior year, I may have been an outcast but I didn't live under a rock.

"Yeah, I actually have no idea how Quinn had found out about it, but when she did she did not hesitate to go to Sue with it. When Sue found out about it she was ready to throw me on the bottom of the pyramid but once I explained to her why I had it she secured my spot as Head Cheerio and told me that she was proud of me for being brave." She explains. "I totally saw tears in her eyes before she told me to get the hell out of her office" Santana says with a small giggle.

"I'm so sorry that you went though all of this Santana. I wish I could have been there for you back then."

"That means a lot to me, but I've worked really hard to move on from all of that. It will always be a part of me and it will always be sad and hard to think about, but the way I see it, it helped to shape me into the person I am today. Granted that it probably also has a lot to do with my anger problems." She says

"I think you turned out great regardless of your anger problems. The fact that you were able to overcome all of that along with a cancer scare yourself is impressive Santana. Don't overlook how amazing it is. Thank you for trusting me with this, even though I know how hard it was for you to talk about." I tell her before kissing the top of her head.

She lifts her head off of my chest and looks down at me. "Thank you for listening Rae. It feels so much better now that at least one person other then my father knows about all of this." She says then leans down and pecks my lips.

"You mean that you never told Brittany any of this. Or Quinn before your friendship went to hell?" I ask completely confused. I thought that the 'unholy trinity' used to tell each other everything.

"No I hadn't. I hate talking about it so I never found a reason to tell them. Or I guess I should say that I looked for excuses not to tell them. For a long time, I thought it was my fault because I spent so much time hating her. Like if I spent that year trying to find her instead of trying to make up reasons for why she left, she never would have gotten sick. I was young and naïve and I eventually learned that that wasn't the case. But the 8-year-old me was afraid that if I talked about it, about how I felt, then everybody would see it too and that they would blame me just like I did. Plus I didn't want to tell Brittany something like that and risk taking the smile off of her face." She says with a shrug. I can tell that it is more of the former than the latter, but I let it go; there is no need to argue that point with her.

Knowing that I was the only person Santana trusted with this information makes me feel so special that I can't even explain. I lean up and connect our lips in a sweet and loving kiss that is nothing more than our lips connecting. Neither of us tries to deepen it or bring our tongues or teeth into the mix, it was simply the two of us showing each other just how much we loved each other.

"Why don't I go order us some dinner and then we can just snuggle and lay around for the rest of the night." I offer after we break from the kiss.

"That sounds nice." She says before looking at the clock. "Do you want me to start feeding Skylar while you do that?" She asks. I just smile and nod before pecking her lips one more time.

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I watch as Rachel gets off the bed and heads downstairs to figure out what we should eat for dinner. I just stay were I am for a few moments so that I can compose myself.

Telling Rachel about my mother made me feel like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders. I will always love my mom and hold the pain and sorrow that her death left on me, but having told someone else and being able to talk about it makes me feel so much less weighed down.

After a minute of thinking I decide I should go get Skylar started with her food since the little girl is probably hungry.

When I get down to the living room I see the infant giggling at The Wiggles. I can't help the smile that takes over my face at hearing the baby giggle. I make my way over to her and sit down next to her bouncy chair. Her head instantly whips over to me and she starts giggling and babbling to me.

"Is that so Princesa?" I ask her, causing her to babble more and raise her hands to me.

I oblige her request and then stand up and bring her into the kitchen, The Wiggles forgotten in the background. When I sit her in the highchair she surprisingly shows no objections; even though she has been doing a lot better with the chair when it's Barb or Rachel putting her in, she usually still at least whines when I try – it probably has to do with the fact that I'm such a push over when it comes to the small child.

"What shall you eat today Chica? Do you want carrots?" I ask and look over to her and see her looking back at me with her fingers in her mouth. "No? Ok, what about Peas?" I ask and she starts babbling and hitting her fists on the tray. I start laughing at her reaction. I guess that's a yes.

"Alright Sweets lets get your eats on." I giggle as I make my way over to her.

"Oh please Santana, don't talk to her like that. As adorable as it is when you talk like that, I would really appreciate it if my daughter's first sentence wasn't in 'gangster'" Rachel says with an eye roll and giggle.

A pout forms on my lips "I am not 'adorable'" I tell her while using air quotes.

This just causes her to giggle louder as she walks over to me and pulls me into her.

"Adorable," she whispers before leaning forward and sucking on my pouted lip eliciting a moan from me.

Unfortunately before we even have a chance to deepen the kiss, Sky starts banging on her tray to show her displeasure at being made to wait to eat. With a groan, Rachel pulls away and grabs the food from my hands so that she can go feed the infant.

I just watch as Rae sits down and feeds the little girl so easily. Watching them fall straight into their rolls of mother and daughter puts a smile on my face. The smile only grows when Rachel looks over to me with a huge smile on her face causing Skylar to look over at me to with an identical smile. With a tilt of the head, Rachel asks me to come join them, reminding me that even though my mother is gone, I still had this family and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

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><p><strong>So what did you all think? I hope that Santana's past doesn't seem too outlandish : and I hope that this is at least sort of worth the wait **

**If you let me know what you would like to see happen I can try to fit more into this.. the next few chapters will be much fluffier like i said so if you want me to add things into them just let me know with a review and i will try my best :)**

**Thank you all for reading! please leave a review! They honestly make it easier for me to write quicker :D**


	31. Chapter 31

**This ended up suuuupppper fluffy lol.. like really fluffy lmao.. sorry about that :/**

**So this chapter ended up being longer than I thought it was going to be.. meaning that it ended up being 2 chapters long lol.. This was all supposed to be fit into one but it grew into a monster so I stopped it where I did in order to add the next part as its own chapter... I was going to add it all together but I figured that you guys would rather at least get this part today rather than waiting for me to get my ass in gear and get the next part written**

**I will try my hardest to get the next chapter out tomorrow.. I shouldn't have too many distractions tonight so I can write.. lets just hope my muse doesn't disappear on me lol **

**I want to apologize for my delays in updating and if this story is starting to feel forced or stupid.. I will try harder for you guys so i don't keep letting you all down .. But you guys have been amazing with all the reviews, alerts, and favorites. It never ceases to amaze me how awesome all of you are! **

**A huge thanks goes out to my beta GE0309! **

**Disclaimer: I do no own glee!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 31<strong>_

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

After our talk about my Mami, Rachel and I only got closer. In the last month we have been practically inseparable; even more so than before. I think we have slept in separate houses maybe once the entire time. Call it pathetic if you want but to me it's awesome; there is nothing better than having my girl in my arms.

I actually hadn't realized how co-dependent we have become until I told her that I was going to need to sleep at my house alone tonight; she almost had a panic attack. Honestly so did I, I don't like the idea of being away from her for that long, and obviously neither did she. I realize you probably think that this would freak me out, make me want to back off a little, but all it did was make me want to forget it all and stay with her tonight.

I know that I can't though, with all the time we've been spending together I haven't really had a chance to plan her birthday party. Now that her birthday is only a week away I have to get my ass in gear. Tonight Brittany, Tina, Quinn and I are all having a sleep over to plan out the best party Rachel has ever had or even been to. It has to be epic.

The preliminary plan is that the first part of the party will be parent and child friendly and much smaller; this way Skylar and Shelby can be involved in Rachel's first birthday with them. That will probably last two hours or so and then the parents are getting kicked out, Skylar is staying with either my dad or Shelby for the night – they are currently fighting over who gets to keep the infant with them – and the rest of the guests will arrive so we can have some real fun.

I am getting ready to head out and Rachel is now in full on pout mode and to make matters worse Skylar has decided to follow her mother's lead and is also pouting at me. How the hell am I supposed to stand strong against two Berry pouts?

"Babe, I'm sorry but my dad wants to spend some 'Papi-Mija' time together. You know I would stay here with you guys if I could." I try to tell her.

"I just don't understand why you can't come back here after you hang out with your dad. Or I could even come there." She argues. She is really not making this easy for me.

"Rae, I'm not even sure what we are doing, it could end up being really late and I don't want to risk waking up Skylar." I can tell by the look on her face that I'm starting to pull ahead in this argument. "We've spent almost every minute together for the last month babe, and as much as I love that, I feel like I'm taking away from your alone time with Skylar."

I can see that I won as her posture slumps and she looks down at the little girl in her arms with a smile on her face. The baby looks back at her mother and quickly matches the smile she sees. I can tell that the two need some alone time together. Even though it pains me to leave them, they were a family first and they haven't really gotten to spend any time just the two of them since I showed up.

"Fine but I want a goodnight call." Rachel bargains after a moment, once she looks back to me.

"That seems like a reasonable deal. I wouldn't be able to go to sleep without talking to you anyway." I say with a sweet smile as I walk towards the pair so I can say my final goodbye.

"Can you say goodbye to Santì?" Rachel asks the infant. Skylar smiles back at me big enough for me to see her gums and sporadic teeth.

"Bye-bye Princesa!" I squeal while taking Skylar out of her mother's arms "I will miss you so much! But I promise before you even know it I'll be back and playing with you and doing anything you want!" I tell her making the baby squeal and babble.

"Oh god, this little girl is going to be so spoiled." Rachel complains, even though I can tell that she has no problem with the idea.

"You both will be if I have anything to say about it." I tell her while picking Skylar up so I can place a kiss on her stomach.

I pass the smallest Berry back to her mother before leaning in and locking my lips with my girlfriend's. As much as I would love to deepen the kiss I know that if I don't leave now I never will. When I finally, reluctantly, pull back I receive a displeased groan from Rachel.

"I'm sorry babe, but I really need to go. I love you." I tell her before placing a quick kiss on her lips and one more on the crown of Sky's head and leaving with a last goodbye.

As soon as I get outside, I text the others and let them know to meet me at my house. I am starting to feel bad about lying to Rachel about all of this; if she finds out that instead of hanging with Papi, I am actually hanging with three of our friends she would probably be hurt, at least until she finds out why. I try to squash those feelings though so that I don't talk myself out of doing this. I want to be able to throw a party for my girlfriend and I want to have it be a surprise so this is necessary, even if I don't like it right now.

I look down at my phone and see that all three girls confirmed that they would be right over. I smile as I pull the car away from Rachel's house. I can do this; I'm not so codependent that I can't even spend twelve hours away from my girls.

When I pull up to my house I see that Britt's car is already in my driveway. I smile knowing that my best friend is just as dedicated as I am to making this birthday awesome for Rachel. I am a bit confused though when I approach the car and Brittany doesn't get out to greet me.

My silent questions are answered when I get to the car and see that B is in the back seat with Quinn straddling her as they make out. Seriously? First these two are flirting like thirteen year olds and then they are avoiding each other and now they are about to have sex in the backseat of a car in my driveway? Quite a rollercoaster if you ask me.

I let out a little chuckle before banging on the passenger side window to alert the lovebirds of my presence. I laugh even harder as I watch Quinn jump so high that she bangs her head on the roof of the car while Brittany just looks over at me with a huge smirk on her face.

"Seriously, bitch, you needed to scare the shit out of me?" Quinn asks as she climbs out of the car.

"That's what you get for trying to defile my driveway," I tell her with a shrug causing a blush to appear on Quinn's cheeks.

"We were totally not having sex S. I wish we were, but Quinn barely lets me touch her boobs!" Brittany announces loudly while pouting.

Quinn's blush only deepens as she looks around to see if anyone heard Britt's little announcement.

"That sucks B, but maybe you should keep those kind of comments to yourself, at least until were in the house. Wouldn't want you guys outed like that would we?" I reason with the taller blonde.

The dancer's eyes widen in realization before she quickly slaps her hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry baby! I didn't mean to." Brittany stage whispers to Quinn.

Quinn just smiles at her girlfriend and shakes her head a little "It's fine sweetheart." She says lightly, even though I can tell she's still freaking out.

Even though the two have been dating for over a month now, when Quinn realized that Judy wasn't going to find out what happened at the mall, she was still reluctant to fill her in. Not that I can really blame her though, Russell may be gone, but that doesn't mean that Judy turned into this awesome accepting mom because he left. I know that Quinn is still terrified that once her mom finds out she will be booted from the house again. The fact that she is putting this fear aside to comfort her girlfriend shows just how much Quinn has grown.

"What's up people?" Tina asks as she walks up the driveway. "I could have rung the bell, no need to stand in the driveway to wait for me," The Asian girl jokes.

"We were just discussing the make-out session I interrupted between these two just before you got here." I fill her in once she's close enough.

"Is it just me or does it feel like we are interrupting a lot of make-out sessions between Blonde Evasion?" Tina jokes; we all just look at her in amusement.

"Blonde Evasion?" I ask with a laugh causing Tina to start pouting.

"Why are Mike and I the only two with a couple nickname like that?" She whines.

"Because you're dating someone with the same last name as you, did you really expect not to get ridiculed for that?" I gibe.

"You guys suck." Tina pouts even though I can see the smile she is trying to hide.

"What can you do?" I shrug with a giggle. "Lets get inside." I instruct after I realize that we have been standing out here for five minutes.

Once inside we all say hi to Papi and he offers to make us all dinner, which we quickly take him up on. Papi has gotten to know all of the Trouble Tones in the last few months since we tend to only hang out here or at Rachel's house when we get together; it's easier to relax when we know that there is a monitor system and crib for Skylar. During dinner we all just relax and chat. It isn't until after dinner that we actually get down to business.

"What's the plan then?" Quinn asks while being pulled down onto Brittany's lap on the couch. Tina quickly claims the other end of the couch and I just sit on the ground facing them.

"Shelby and by extension Beth, Papi, Shelby's parents and Barb along with the ND Trouble Tones are all meeting at Rachel's house at 7 to start getting the party ready. I am going to bring Rachel over around 8 for the surprise. At 10 the adults and children are getting the boot and the rest of the Trouble Tones and basically the rest of the school will show up at 10:30." I tell them and they all just nod their acceptance.

"The question is how we are going to make this special for her." Tina reminds us.

We lose track of time trying to figure out how to make this the best birthday Rachel has ever had. Before I know it my phone is ringing and 'I Won't Give Up' is blasting through my phone. I tell Quinn, Brittany and Tina to shut up and not say a word the entire time I'm on the phone so Rachel doesn't know that I'm with them and then quickly answer the call with a huge smile on my face. I really have missed her even if we've only been apart for a few hours.

"Hey Babe!"

"San!" She says breathlessly. Something's not right, I can tell that right away.

"Babe what's wrong?" I ask worriedly, earning worried glances from the other three occupants in the room.

I have the phone pressed against my ear so roughly that I feel like I am either going to break the phone or break my skull as I listen to what is happening on the other line, but I don't even care right now.

"Oh my god!" I yell as I hop up and off the floor. My free hand lifts to cover my gaping pout and tears instantly spring to my eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

As soon as Santana told me that she wasn't staying here tonight and that I couldn't stay at her house, I was unhappy. I love that I am getting to spend time alone with Skylar, I haven't really had any alone time with her in a while, but I think both Skylar and I are happier with the Latina around. I know that it's selfish to want Santana here with me rather than hanging out with her father, but it is what it is.

I don't really realize how little time we have spent apart recently until she walks out of the house. I also didn't realize how codependent I had become on her. Either way I am determined to make the best of this night alone with my daughter, after all with Santana here I have to share my 'Mommy-Skylar Playtime'.

As soon as the door is shut though Skylar looks up at me with confused brown eyes. She is not used to Santana leaving without us, or at the very least me. If she ever does, to go to the store or something, we never walk her out; she just leaves and hurries back home. Even when it comes to Cheerio's practice, she usually just goes straight from school or, if Sue is feeling particularly vicious, in the morning before Skylar is even awake. In fact, Skylar and I have started making a habit of watching some of the practices, although Sue always gives me disapproving looks when we do because it always, without a doubt, distracts her Cheerios from the task at hand.

"It's ok baby girl, she's just spending the day with her Papi." I tell the little girl.

She doesn't seem to know what to think still because her eyes keep going from the door back to me. Finally she lets out a little whimper as her eyes fill with tears.

"Oh, no Princess it's alright. She's not leaving for good. She'll be back tomorrow." I try to reason, but she doesn't care. A single tears slides down her cheek as if testing the waters before the rest come pouring down.

"Come on baby girl, don't cry. Do you want to go play with Mommy? Why don't we go and have some fun just the two of us? How does that sound? Hmm?" I ask her while holding her close to my chest.

When we get into the living room I sit on the floor with all of her toys surrounding us. Sky seems to realize what I'm hoping for because her tears soon dry and she looks around at all the things she has to choose from. I stand her up in front of my outstretched legs and hold her up so she can stretch out and move around a limited radius. She is starting to get used to her legs and can walk a few steps while holding onto someone's hands which has given her even more confidence in her abilities. She decided a few times that she should get up on her own and try to walk along whatever was in her grasp, unfortunately she doesn't really have _that _ability yet and always ends up falling. We realized after a few tumbles that we couldn't leave her alone unless she was strapped into something. We also made sure to get rubber fittings for every sharp edge in the house the first time we found her trying to shimmy her way around the couch, only making it half a step before falling face first into the couch, and then quickly to her butt on the floor.

After Skylar got tired of being restrained she sat down and played with some of her toys for a little while. She was having a great time until she smacked herself in the head with one of the blocks she was slamming on the floor. Tears instantly built up in her eyes and she dropped the block and her little hand went up to hold the sore spot.

"Oh Princess are you alright?" I ask as I stand up and grab her.

I walk into the kitchen to get the little cow shaped icepack from the freezer. By the time I get there, Skylar is waling in my arms and does not show any signs of slowing down. I quickly grab the cow and place it on her head where I saw the block hit. Her first instincts were to shy away from the cold object being held onto her head but after a second she lets the coldness sooth her wound and just lays her head on my shoulder while still bawling her eyes out.

"You're ok sweetie. It's just a bump baby, you'll be ok," I soothe as sit in a kitchen chair with her in my lap facing me. She instantly leans forward to lay her head on my chest as she continues to cry, albeit less severely.

"That's Mommy girl. Come on Princess, calm down." I encourage as I rub her back in soft circles, still holding the cow icepack to her head.

When I am finally getting Skylar to calm down the doorbell rings scaring her and by extension starting her tears again. I huff as I get up and hold her to me.

"This better be good," I mutter under my breath, walking to the door.

As soon as I open the door I am assaulted by hugs from Noah and Mike. Neither seems to process the still whimpering baby in my arms until after their hugs are finished.

"What's wrong peanut?" Puck asks reaching out for the infant; he is quickly denied.

"She just wants her Mommy when she's hurt Noah, don't worry," I assure once I see his hurt expression. He nods his acceptance while moving around me to enter my house.

"Is it cool if we hang out? We figured that we would use Santana's distraction as an opportunity to spend some time with you." Mike says with a smile, obviously considerate enough not to just walk into my house like Noah did.

"Sounds like an excellent idea to me." I tell him with a smile while moving to the side to allow him to walk in. "How did you know that Santana wasn't going to be here?" I ask curiously.

"Uh- Tina had texted her earlier to see if you guys wanted to hang out and she told her she was hanging out with her dad today." He answers after a beat.

"Where's Tina then?" I ask with a giggle.

"Oh- uh- she went out with Brittany and Quinn. Neither of us wanted to see the grossness that is Quitt so we decided to come hang out with you." He says in reference to his and Noah's unexpected visit.

I'm a little hurt that once Santana said that she couldn't hang out that Tina didn't think that maybe I would want to still, but I don't say anything.

"Ok well me and Sky were just spending some 'Mommy and Me' time together so you are welcome to come in and hang out." I tell him as I lead him into the living room where Puck is already.

"Shi-oot" He corrects after I give him a stern look, "-shoot, Rach if you want to spend sometime alone with Sky we can totally leave you to it." Mike offers.

I wave his concern off, "Don't be silly, it's fine. We totally love your company don't we Skylar?" I ask the still grumpy little girl in my arms, not even earning a babbled response from the girl.

"What's up with her?" Noah asks from the couch with a concerned look on his face.

I sigh before retelling the tale of 'Skylar the Miserable Grump. "Well she missed her nap today because we were at the park and then she got upset when Santana first left. We played for a little bit and got her mind off of Santì until she was playing a little too roughly with a block and ended up smacking herself in the head with it. All of which has culminated in her wanting nothing to do with anything." I say with a small giggle.

"Aw poor little thing." Mike says while running his hand through the baby's hair. "She does look a little tired." He teases, and I look down to see that Skylar has fallen asleep in my arms.

I just roll my eyes at him. "I'm going to go put her in her crib, I'll be right back." I tell the boys before slowly and steadily walking upstairs to the nursery.

I place Skylar in her bed and stand over her for a few moments, just watching her small chest rise and fall with every breath. I reach down and smooth an errant curl from her face and run my fingers over her cute little puffy cheeks. I love moments like these, moments where I can just stand over her and watch her sleep. It's moments like these that remind me just how lucky I am, and show me all the decisions I made that led me to this point were right. There have certainly been mistakes made along the way, but I've obviously done something good in my life to deserve something as perfect as this little baby.

I completely loose track of time and space while staring down at the sleeping form of my daughter and don't even hear Noah walk in behind me until I feel him put his hand on my back.

"Sorry to disturb you, we were about to order dinner though and I wanted to know what you wanted." Noah tells me in a quiet voice.

"I'll come down with you," I answer quietly.

"It's fine Rach, stay up here with her, we'll get the food." He argues.

"It's fine Noah, I just got lost in thought up here, I'll come down with you." I tell him again.

I lean down and kiss both of Skylar's cheeks and place a kiss on her forehead then stand up and raising the bar to the crib. I motion for the mohawked boy to follow me out, and watch as he lingers over the crib looking at the infant for a moment before trails after me.

"She's seriously so beautiful Rachel." He tells me once we are in the hallway with the door to the nursery closed.

"She really is isn't she?" I respond with a smile before leaning into him and wrapping my arms around the boy. "She's perfect Noah, absolutely perfect." I don't even know why I'm crying right now. I have so many emotions swirling around in me that I can even pick one and stick with it.

"Hey, no tears. What's wrong?" He asks without pulling back from me.

I let out a watery chuckle. "I don't even know, it's just sometimes I look at her and I'm filled with so much love and pride and adoration and fear that it kind of just bubbles over." I tell him.

"Why fear?" He asks with curiosity in his voice.

"She's so perfect, so god damn perfect, and I'm trying my best not to screw that up, but what if I'm not good enough Noah? What if I mess her up? What if I'm not good enough for her?" I ask, more tears flow down my face.

At this Noah grabs my shoulders and pushes me away from him so he can look me in the eyes, "You're perfect Rachel. You. Are. Perfect. She had to have gotten it from somewhere and it sure as hell wasn't from St. James." He explains adamantly.

I let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "I am far from perfect, that has been well documented."

"Nope, perfect. No arguments." He says cockily.

I just giggle at him and pull him in for another hug, which he quickly reciprocates.

"I love you Rachel." He tells me as he kisses the top of my head.

"I love you too Noah." I respond as I bury my nose further into his chest.

I hear someone clear their throat behind me, "Sorry to break up this sickening show of love, but I'm starving, what are we getting to eat?" Mike asks from the middle of the stairs.

I turn around and move forward to hug Mike also, and smile when he instantly hugs me back. I know that I have been friends with everyone for a little while now, but I still can't help but be happy every time I'm reminded that they are there for me and care for me.

"Lets get Chinese." I announce as I walk down the steps.

By the time the food comes and we finish eating, Skylar is ready to get up from her mini nap. I am actually glad that she woke up because I don't want her to mess up her sleeping schedule because of a simple park trip. Luckily though the short nap was enough to put the smile back on her face.

I can tell that Noah is excited when Skylar sees him and starts squealing and reaching out for him. Even though he likes to act like the big man on campus, I know him well enough to know that he was still upset about her refusal earlier. He, of course, quickly scoopes the girl up and helps her shuffle around the room. I couldn't help but take a picture of 'Noah Bad-Ass Puckerman' bent over, holding tightly to an eight-month-old's hands helping her walk.

After Skylar gets tired of walking around, I feed her quickly and we start playing a game where Mike picks her up and runs away from Noah and I. She loves it; she squeals anytime we get anywhere near her and hides her face in Mike's neck.

I sneak up to the left of Mike to get the jump on them and as the Asian boy was focusing on Noah, I reach out and grab the baby from his hands.

"MAMA!" Sky squeals happily and it was as if everything in the room halts.

I turn the baby around in my arms so she was facing me and I couldn't help the shocked and proud smile from forming on my face. I can't even form words to respond to her with, I am struck absolutely speechless.

"Did she just…" Noah starts but fades out.

"Was that her first…" Mike starts at the same time but he too stops short.

I can only nod at the both of them, while keeping my eyes on my baby girl. "What did you say Princess?" I ask once I finally find my words.

"MAMA! MAMA! MAMA!" The baby squeals out again. She looks around to all of us to see what is going on and why all the fun stopped. Her eyebrows furrow when she sees that everyone is just staring at her with big smiles on their faces.

"Mama" she says again, but this time much less certain of herself. Her uncertainty snaps me out of my stupor and I completely lose it.

"OH MY GOD! Baby girl! You're talking! You talked! That's so good Princess! I love you! Yes Mommy loves you so much!" I praise as I bring my daughter to my chest and hold her tight while kissing every part of her I can reach. "Can you say it again Princess? Can you say Mama again?" I encourage.

"Mama!" She says again and tears are brought to my eyes.

I instantly grab my phone and call Santana so she can hear this too. I can't believe that of all the days she chooses to go home, it's the day that Skylar decides to start talking. We have been trying to entice her to talk for weeks now, but she has wanted nothing to do with it. I can't believe my baby is talking!

Again my emotions are going crazy. I don't think I've ever been happier or more proud since I gave birth to Skylar but at the same time I'm so sad because this just means that my baby is growing up.

"Hey Babe!" I can hear the smile in Santana's voice as she answers the phone.

"San!" I answer as I try to calm my emotions.

"Babe what's wrong?" She asks with worry in her voice.

"Just listen Santì!" I say, as my emotions swing towards excited again.

"Come on Princess do it again. Come on just like before!" I urge the infant to do what I want while trying not to say what she is doing so Santana can be surprised.

"MAMA!" the youngest squeals again with a huge smile on her face, obviously proud that she is getting such a great reaction from her little trick.

"Oh my god!" She screams.

"I know! She just said it! I couldn't believe it! She's talking Santì!"

* * *

><p>After I got off the phone with Santana, the boys and I spent the rest of the night trying to see what else Skylar could and would say. Turns out an hour after a baby says their first word, they don't magically learn how to say others, who knew?<p>

In the week since then though Skylar has learned how to but pretty much any consonant with an 'a' and say that. We have been careful not to introduce the letter d into her vocabulary yet.

Despite all the happiness I've felt since Sky started talking I can't help but notice how everyone has been acting really shifty around me all week. I am starting to get really paranoid. I had asked Santana if she noticed anything and she acted as though I was crazy. I really wish I knew what was going on. I feel like I am constantly looking over my shoulder waiting for something terrible to happen.

To make matters worse, by Friday, even Santana and Shelby are acting this way towards me. I keep asking everyone what's going on, and if I did anything to upset them but they all keep saying no and then just walking away.

Not to mention that my birthday is Sunday and I am almost positive that no one has remembered, including my girlfriend and mother. Not one person asked me what my plans for my birthday were or even wished me a good birthday weekend. To say I wasn't a little hurt would be a lie.

I am glad when Saturday comes because I can spend it with Skylar and Santana and just forget the awkwardness that I had been encountering all week. All I want to do all day is snuggle up to Santana and Skylar and hang out all day.

Unfortunately Santana has other plans because when I suggest that we stay in all day she insists that we go out and at least hang out at her house. It didn't even make sense, what is the difference between my house and her house? At least my house doesn't have the presence of any parents. I mean I love Tony, but I don't really want him walking in as I'm making out with his daughter.

To make matters worse, I can barely get any attention from Santana all day. She has been on her damn phone since the minute we stepped into her house. It is going off every two seconds and I am about ready to grab it and slam it against the wall. Is it too much to ask for a little attention from my girlfriend after having a kind of shitty week? Usually she's so in tune with my needs that she just appears, but now she's sitting next to me completely oblivious.

At seven, things go from irritating to just plan strange. Santana gets up off the couch and disappears upstairs.

"Sky do you know why Santì is being so strange? Do you? Can you tell Mommy please?" I ask the little girl sitting on my stomach.

"MAMAMAMA!" She responds with and starts clapping her hands.

"At least you'll never change on me Princess," I sigh as I tickle her belly.

"Hey Baby, I'm taking you on a date at 8. I bought you a new dress, it's up on the guest bed. I figured you can get ready in the guest bathroom and I'll watch Sky while you shower and then once you're out I can jump in." She says kissing me quickly and then grabbing the baby on her way up.

"What?" I ask completely perplexed.

"Shower. Now. Go." Santana laughs out. "How else do you want me to say it?"

"Well for one you could properly ask." I say irritated. She ignores me all day and then just expects me to jump up and get ready for a date that she just assumed that I wanted to go on? Yeah I don't think so.

"I'm sorry sweetheart. Rachel, will you go on a date with me tonight at 8?" She asks sweetly, emphasizing her question with a soft kiss.

"San your dad is working and I can't just ask Shelby to babysit an hour before." I tell her.

"I have it planned out Rae, I picked a place where she can come with us. There is actually a new dress for her up there as well. Please just go get ready, I have reservations and I don't want to be late." She urges me as she tries to pull me off the couch.

"Where are we going?" I ask as get up.

"Surprise. Just get ready!" She says laughing.

The dress that Santana picked out for me is really nice. It's a purple and strapless with swirls embroidered on it and random sequences here and there. I fix my hair and makeup, as well as dress Skylar in her new pink dress and am somehow ready by 7:45. As soon as I open the door I see Santana standing on the other side of the door in a black form fitting dress with pink tiger lilies in her hand, my favorite.

"Happy early birthday Rae." She says smoothly as she pushes off the wall and strides over to me.

"Tha-Thank you." I respond confused as to what is going on.

"Thought I forgot?" She asks and I can only nod my head and look down as the pain of being forgotten takes over again. "I would never forget something like that, or anything about you for that matter. I just wanted to surprise you." She says lifting my chin.

I just nod and lean forward to share a sweet kiss with her. She grabs my hand and we share a smile before she dips down and kisses Skylar on the cheek and leads us out to the car.

"Why don't we stop by your house to drop those in some water so they don't die before you even get them home?" She suggests and I agree because the last thing I want is for them to die.

When we pull up to the house, Santana is acting shifty again.

"I'll just run these in, why don't you stay in the car with Skylar." I tell her as I reach for the door handle.

"NO!" she yells. What the hell is going on? I give her an incredulous look and she quickly explains herself. "No. I want to go in with you, I don't want to be away from you right now." She says sweetly.

Seriously? She ignores me all night and then tells me that she doesn't want to be away from me? What the hell is going on with her?

As confused as I am, I relent and she quickly gets out and starts unbuckling the baby.

"You are struggling with her to get back in the car though." I warn as I slam the door shut; just incase she didn't know I was annoyed.

"That's fine." She says as if she doesn't even realize that I'm not happy with her, which only serves to annoy me more.

As soon as I unlock the door I feel around for the light switch. When I finally find it I flip it on -

"Happy Birthday!"

I nearly jump out of my skin as I look up to see all of my friends and family clapping and laughing at my reaction.

* * *

><p><strong>So if I'm being honest this chapter wasn't even supposed to be written lol I was just going to skip ahead a few more months and go from there... but then i realized that if I did it would also skip over Rachel's first birthday being friends with everyone and Skylar's first Christmas.. hope you all don't mind the detour.. I can still skip over Christmas if you guys don't want to read it.. let me know.. I'll go off of what you guys think :)<strong>

**I tried to fit a few of the requests I've been receiving into this chapter.. mainly more Sky/Rachel time and a glimpse at Quitt.. Keep letting me know what you guys want to see! **

**Thank you all for reading! Please let me know what you think :) I seriously love reading your reviews and i would really appreciate if you guys could take a minute and leave your thoughts for me :D**

**Up next we have the parties! If i get requests before the end of the night of what you guys want to see at the party I will try my best to try and add it in :)**


	32. Chapter 32

**I know I said that this would be up the next day and I'm SOOOO sorry! I know I've sucked with consistent updates recently and I will try my best to rectify that! Work and being home has just been taking up more time than i thought it would!**

**This chapter was supposed to be both parties but somehow the adult/kid party ended up taking up an entire chapter lol.. so they had to be split up.. hope you guys don't mind. I never expected this part to end up being so long!**

**I have no idea how it happened btw but this entire thing ended up being Rachel's POV.. I didn't even realize until i had 5000 words finished and I was like 'Well Damn' lol.. Sorry if you guys wanted more Santana lol **

**Thanks to my wonderful beta GE0309! **

**Disclaimer: If you recognize the character from the show.. I do not own them! **

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><p><strong><em><span>Chapter 32<span>_**

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV <strong>

I don't even know what to think while I look at the smiling faces of Shelby, Gloria, Howard, Beth, Antonio, Barb, and the core group of the Trouble Tones. I just smile at them as tears make their way down my face.

"Rae, what's going on? Why are you crying?" Santana asks quickly while stepping in front of me as if it would block off the other people in the room.

"Their happy tears Santì. I'm fine, I've just never had a birthday party before." I admit while looking down at the floor.

"What do you mean you've never had a birthday party before?" She asks confused. I guess that's a normal reaction after learning that in eighteen years I've never had so much as a friend over for my birthday.

"It's always just been my fathers and I on my birthdays."

"They wouldn't let you have a party?" She questions obviously not understanding what I'm trying so desperately not to say.

I look over her shoulder and see that most of the guests have moved on to talk amongst themselves to give us our privacy, but Shelby is still watching us closely to make sure I am okay.

"We tried once when I was seven…" I look away from her in embarrassment and shame "no one showed up." I finish sadly.

In the next second Santana's arms are wrapped tightly around Skylar and me. "Oh babe, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that." She says into my hair before kissing my head.

When she pulls away she looks me in the eyes and I can tell that she knows I'm holding something back.

"What's else is it? I know something else is bothering you, what is it?" She asks, worried.

"I thought everyone forgot about my birthday." I say in a small voice, quickly followed by tears.

I didn't even realize I was close to crying. I was upset about everyone forgetting, there is no denying that, but I didn't realize how much of an impact it had on me. It had really hurt my feelings that after finally finding friends and a mother and a girlfriend that I still didn't have anyone to remember my birthday. I think the relief of finding out that people care is actually what brought the tears on.

"No one forgot your birthday Rae. I realize now I should not have told them to leave it out of conversations though. I didn't want anyone to blow the surprise so I figured it would be best if no one talked about it at all. That was my bad, and I'm sorry about that, but every one kept coming up to me during every part of the planning stage for this to ask what I was doing for your birthday. Even the Cheerios were wondering what the plan was." She tells me.

"The Cheerios?" I look around and note that the only Cheerios here are Santana and Brittany.

Santana must understand my confusion because she is quick to answer for it. "They will be here later. You know, after the parents and kids leave," She says with a wicked smirk.

"What do you mean after they leave? Where is Skylar going?"

"As of right now Papi and Shelby are arguing over who gets to take her." She laughs out and I look over to indeed see the two parents having a heated debate.

"Shelby I called dibs!"

"Whatever we aren't teenagers Tony, dibs doesn't really count when you become an adult! You get to see her all the time, therefore it is only fair that I get my turn!" Shelby argues back

"You see her just as much and you know it!" Tony says in an annoyed tone. Shelby ignores his argument and looks the little blonde in her arms.

"Bethy wouldn't you like Skylar to sleep over with you tonight?" Shelby asks the little girl in an excited tone.

"SKY! Yes! Mommy sleepover!" Beth yells, clapping her hands.

Once Antonio lets out a defeated sigh Shelby's face fills with a triumphant, smug smile.

"That's just playing dirty and you know it Shel." Tony says with a shake of the head and a small smile. "You know no one can say no to that!" He finally lets out a chuckle.

"Hey I just know how to use the tools in my arsenal." She says with a laugh as she hands Beth over to Tony for him to play with.

Both Santana and I let out giggles at how ridiculous that entire thing just was; only our parents would argue like that over who gets to babysit. Once I stop laughing at the spectacle though I think about what they are arguing about and my smile is replaced with a frown.

"You want me to leave her over night? San she's never stayed somewhere over night with out me." I argue worriedly.

She lets out a sigh before answering, "I know Rae, but it's only one night and you deserve the night to be a teenager. You trust Skylar with Shelby, and you know that if they need you for any reason that they can just call or come over here. Please Rae, just let loose tonight; you've earned it. It's your birthday." She argues passionately.

I look between Skylar who already looks tired to the group of people who are still sparing glances at us to see if we are going to join them. Finally with a sigh I relent and nod my head affirmatively. After receiving a whoop from Santana we finally make our way into the party.

As soon as I walk fully into the living room everyone around me starts singing 'Happy Birthday' while Noah and Mike hold a cake. Skylar picks her head off my shoulder and looks around perplexed at first before clapping along and attempting to join them in the song.

"You want to cut the cake?" Santana asks as she presses up against my back, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"Mmm yes. It looks delicious." I tell, her take a good look at the cake for the first time; it's iced with a marble looking icing and has "Legal Baby!" written on it.

"Shelby and Gloria worked really hard to make sure it looked perfect," Howard tells me while coming up behind me. "Happy Birthday kiddo." He adds as he pulls me into a hug, which I happily return.

"Thanks Howard," I respond with a smile.

"Why don't you cut the first piece and then I will do the rest while you relax babe." Santana offers while lifting Skylar out of my arms.

I pick up the knife that was brought out and cut a line down the cake while everyone claps. I smile before turning to switch the baby for the knife only to see Santana empty handed. I can only laugh because with all these people here I should have assumed that Santana and I weren't going to get to really see Skylar until she was tired… or hungry.

"Who took her?" I ask with a laugh.

"Quinn grabbed her and Beth to distract them from the cake until everyone is ready." She tells me while grabbing the knife from me.

"Skylar is not going to be pleased when she realizes that she can't have any of this."

"Yeah I figured. I got her these baby cracker things though I figured that we can give her some of those to throw around while we eat the cake." I can't believe that Santana thought that much into this; it causes a huge smile to take over my face.

"You're amazing you know that?" I question before kissing her soundly.

"Get a room!" I hear Mike yell from across the living room, followed closely by a smacking sound.

"Dude! We've been over this! Girl on Girl _never _gets interrupted!" Noah says with a pout.

"You look real badass over there Puck," I hear Tina joke from somewhere.

"Guys I'd like to remind everyone that there are two little girls with big ears in the room, both of which are talking now." I announce.

"Oh my god! My great-grandbaby's talking!" Gloria yells; I can't help but laugh at her.

"Yeah she started talking last week. I figured Shelby would have told you." I tell her earning Shelby a smack to the arm.

"How could you not tell me that!" Gloria yells before going over and snatching Skylar up and hugging her while talking excitedly to her. Causing almost everyone to giggle and laugh at the sight.

"Real nice, throwing me under the bus." Shelby says with a pout while walking up to me.

"I'm sorry Mom, but I couldn't help it." I say with a giggle.

I start to worry that she is actually mad at me when the older woman's eyes fill with tears. "What's wrong? What happened? I'm sorry if I upset you, it was really only a joke! Do you want me to go talk to Gloria to explain?" I ask her hurriedly.

"You called me Mom." She says in a small voice as a smile fills her face.

My freak out is cut short and I stop to think back to what I had just said. I really had called her mom without even realizing it. A smile forms on my face also when I think about how easily the name had come to me.

"I guess I did." She pulls me into a tight hug and I quickly return it.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" She asks into my ear.

"Yeah, of course." I tell her and turn around to let Santì know where I'm going.

We walk into the kitchen and I sit at the table waiting for her to join me, "What's up?"

"I just wanted to say that I am so glad that you gave me an opportunity to get to know you and Sky after all the mistakes I have made. I've explained why everything happened the way it did, but that doesn't mean that I should have gotten another chance. The fact that you gave me one anyway means the world to me Rach and I am so unbelievably happy that I got to be here with you on your eighteenth birthday, even though I would have liked to have been here for all of them." She says while tears make their way down both of our cheeks.

"I am just glad that you came back. Better late than never right?" I try to joke with a teary chuckle.

"Exactly. I want you to know that no matter what happened in the past you have always been my daughter in my eyes and I have always seen you as my little girl, regardless of the fact that you grew up to be this amazing young woman. When you were born and taken away from me I decided that when I could see you again, I would make sure that I made it up to you for missing all those birthdays. I am in no way trying to buy your love, I just wanted to make sure that you were able to do whatever you needed or wanted to when you graduated. I figured it was the least I could do. So after I got out of the hospital I started a savings account in your name and put some money in it and then continued to do so every year on your birthday since. Here is all the information for it so you can do what you please with it. Happy Birthday Rachel." She explains as she slides an envelope of paperwork across the table to me.

When I take out the first piece of paper in it I nearly have a hear attack "Ten thousand dollars! Mom I can't take this from you!" I stage whisper so no one else can hear me.

"You can. It's yours Rachel, I put it aside specifically for you." She explains again.

"Mom you would have had to put aside like over five hundred dollars a year to get to this amount!"

"Well on average yes. I put aside a lot at first because I had the most from your dads, but then when that ran low I lowered the amount that I put in and then when I worked with VA I had enough to put more in again. It all just happened to come out to be around ten grand." She tells me and I feel my heart stop.

Ten _thousand_ dollars. My mother had just handed me over ten thousand dollars! As if it was the most normal gift in the world.

"Mom-"

"No Rachel, that money is for you- well I guess for you and Skylar- so I want you to take it and I won't hear anything else of it." She says in a stern voice.

"I don't know what to say." I tell her honestly.

"There is nothing to say. Use it on something that you want Rachel. Use it on New York."

"Yeah.. New York…" I say while deep in thought.

"What does that mean? You are still planning on going to New York aren't you?" She asks.

"I honestly don't know. I mean I grew up dreaming about Broadway, my whole life was aimed towards it. That all changed when Sky was born, at that point everything was about her and still remains to always be about her; the way it is supposed to be. I guess when she was born I figured that New York and Broadway would never happen. I mean Broadway still couldn't happen, but New York…" I tell her honestly with a small smile.

"Why isn't Broadway an option anymore? Your voice is impeccable; I have faith that you could make it without even trying Rach."

"That's neither here nor there though. I wouldn't be able to dedicate the amount of time or energy needed to make it now that I have Skylar. Even when it comes to practicing now, I only do it once in a blue moon outside of the Trouble Tones. It just wouldn't work." I explain.

"I think you're using your daughter as an excuse honestly. I think that after all the years of you dreaming of Broadway and knowing that you were going to make it that your fear finally caught up to you. I think that with graduation looming you're starting to doubt yourself in ways you never have before. Which is understandable, especially after having Skylar. You're not a little kid anymore, there for you don't have your kid goggles of invincibility anymore. You realize now that there are singers a dime a dozen out there. But the thing that I don't think you realize is that you is _not_ one of those singers. Your voice is not just an average run of the mill voice, you have a rare talent and it must be sheltered and practiced. You're worried and I get that but you have done everything right and you shouldn't let your fears get in the way of any of that now." She tells me adamantly.

"I'm not letting my fears get in my way. I'm forming new ones! Even when it comes to New York. I would love to be a New Yorker, and have my family there. But it's not that simple anymore, uprooting Skylar for the second time would be hard on her. Then of course there is Santana. She is my future and I want to be wherever she is." I say more to myself then to Shelby at this point.

"Have you talked to her at all about what you guys plan on doing after graduation? I mean she got a scholarship to Columbia so wouldn't New York still be an option?" Shelby asks.

"She got a what to where!" I yell. How has Santana not told me about this?

"I- uh- I feel like I shouldn't have told you that." Shelby says worriedly.

"Hey guys. We are waiting on you to start eating the cake Rae." Santana comes in and my eyes instantly move to hers still widened with shock.

"Everything alright guys?" the Latina asks.

"I am going to go… anywhere but here." Shelby says from beside me before getting up and walking out of the kitchen, saying a quick sorry to Santana as she passed.

"San where did you get accepted to school?" I ask in a sickly sweet voice.

She sighs and runs her hands through her hair as she moves over to the table with me.

"Rae, it's not what you think." She starts.

"Really, because it sounds a lot like you were going to give up a scholarship to Columbia along with where ever else you got accepted, assuming you didn't just apply there, so that you could stay here with me." I snap.

"O-K. So it is exactly what you think. Why do you seem so angry about that?" She asks confused.

"You were honestly about to give up a scholarship to an Ivy League school and think nothing of it!" I yell.

"Rae, you and Skylar are my life and my future! I wasn't about to leave you! I got into Ohio State, I can just commute there." She reasons.

"Why the hell did you even _apply_ to Ohio State?" I ask confused.

"Just in case. It was a back up school." She shrugs.

"I doubt that you really needed a back up school still in Ohio, but that's besides the point. You are planning on accepting an offer to your back up when you were accepted to your number one? Really? Are you nuts?"

"I just explained to you Rae, I'm not leave Ohio without my family!"

"We need to discuss this when we're alone and there's not a house full of people here Santana, but we will be discussing this again."

"Whatever you say Rachel, but you won't change my mind on this. You and Skylar are my family and there is nothing that you can say that will convince me to go anywhere that you guys aren't." She says, I can tell that she is trying to control her anger.

I sigh because I don't want her to be angry with me, but at the same time I really don't know if this is the right time to tell her about the money Shelby just gave me.

"San I think it will be possible for Sky and me to come with you, that's all I'm saying right now. I just wish that you would have told me about this yourself." I tell her while kissing her cheek and getting up and putting the paperwork Shelby gave me in a safe place.

I feel Santana come up behind me, wrapping her arms around me and place a kiss behind my ear.

"Rae, please don't be mad, I did this for us. Plus this is your birthday party, you're supposed to be happy."

I spin around in her arms and wrap my arms around her neck bringing her into a tight hug. "I am happy baby, this party is amazing, and I'm not even mad – well I was, but I'm not anymore. I'm just worried what would have happened if Shelby wouldn't have let it slip; you would have missed out on this amazing opportunity." I tell her.

"I applied to schools before I even knew you were back babe, I wouldn't have even applied there if it were after. I want to be with you so there is no opportunity more important than that. I don't even know how the hell Shelby found out." She tells me.

"My best guess is your father." I laugh, "Lets just have a good time tonight and we'll talk about all this tomorrow. Ok?"

"Yeah that sounds good Babe." She tells me before pulling me into a kiss.

We hear a throat being cleared, effectively ending our kiss, and look over to see an awkward looking Tony looking around the room at everything but us. "I was sent in here to break up a fight and come get you guys for cake. The natives are getting restless, especially the toddler." He chuckles.

We nod and follow him into the living room where Beth is crying and struggling in Shelby's arms trying to get her hands on a piece of cake.

"MOMMY! CAKE!" She screams.

"Beth Madeline Corcoran I said no! If you continue to act like this you won't get any cake at all!" Shelby chastises the little girl.

Beth starts to look around to everyone in the room, all of which are staring at the mother and daughter, and starts crying again, this time her tears are more from embarrassment than from wanting something she wasn't allowed to have. She hides her face in her mother's shoulder as she continues crying. I can tell from Shelby's face that she feels bad for losing her cool with the little girl.

I quickly clap my hands to take the attention off of the duo. "Who wants cake?" I yell. Everyone seems to get the hint as they all cheer and make their way over to the table where the pieces of cake are sat.

I grab two plates and two forks and make my way over to my mother and sister who are now sitting on the couch, Beth still crying into Shelby's chest. I sit down next to them and silently ask my mom if it's ok to give Beth cake after all of that. When I receive a nod of confirmation I lightly rub the toddlers back causing her to look at me with watery, tired eyes.

"Would you like some cake now Bethy?" I ask sweetly.

The little girl turns her head towards me and chances a little glance up to her mother before shaking her head no. However her wobbling chin shows me that she is lying so she doesn't chance making her mom mad again.

"I think that your mommy would be ok if you ate some now. Isn't that right?" I ask my mom. I realized in that moment that I didn't know what to call her with Beth around. She seemed happy for me to call her mom when it was just the two of us but if I called her that with Beth around it may confuse the little girl. But that's a conversation I will have to have with her at a later date.

"Yeah Baby Girl you can have some cake now. See now everyone is having some so it's ok for you to have some too." The older brunette tells the tiny blonde.

Beth looks at the piece of cake in my hand wearily and then up to me. She spares another glance at her mother before putting out her arms for me to take her. I automatically reach to take her onto my lap.

"You don't need to feed her, I can do it. You have guests." She tells me.

"Don't be silly, besides Antonio and your parents I see these people on a daily basis, I don't get to see Beth nearly enough. Isn't that right Bethy?" I ask settling the girl on my lap. She looks up at me and nods her head before leaning into me tiredly. "I think someone is ready for bed after this though." I say before handing a piece of cake to Shelby and putting some of the other cake on the fork to feed Beth.

"Yeah it's past her bedtime and she was really excited to get here so she wore herself out."

"I can see that," I say with a giggle as I move to put another forkful of cake in Beth's mouth only to see that she has fallen asleep.

"I should have seen that coming." Shelby says looking somewhat disappointed. "I should probably bring her home." She says regretfully as she moves to get up off the couch.

"No. You don't have to if you don't want to. I can put her in Skylar's crib for right now. That way you can stay a little while longer?" It was supposed to be a statement but it ended up being more of a question. I am really starting to like spending time with my mom and I honestly don't want her to go yet.

"Are you sure that's ok? What if Sky needs to go to sleep?" She asks.

I look over to where my daughter is being handed baby crackers by Noah only to have her throw them at Tina, to get back at her for her early comment no doubt. I let out a giggle while pointing them out to Shelby, "Even though she was exhausted earlier she looks wide awake right now; I think it will be fine. Since she's going with you anyway, if she needs to go to sleep we can just put her in her car seat. She's still at the age where it's comfy unlike Beth."

"Ok, if you're sure, I would love to stay longer." She says with a smile.

I grin back at her, "Great. Do you have anything more comfortable for her to sleep in?" She nods and we both get off the couch to move the sleeping toddler upstairs to the nursery.

We work as a team to change her as smoothly as possible so we don't wake her up and then I step back as I watch my mother put the little girl in the crib. I note the subtle similarities between how we put our daughters to sleep and it brings a smile to my face to know that even with things like this we are similar. After she pulls the rails up we make our way back downstairs and to the party. I look over to check on Sky to see that she has been moved into the kitchen and the tables have now turned on Noah. Somehow Mike and Santana had found ponchos and were wearing them as they held Noah down into a chair as he is getting slashed with the baby food that had been given to Skylar. He was covered in green and orange slime.

"Really guys! That's the perfect way to teach her not to throw food." I tell them as I make my way to the sink to get a wet rag to wash up my daughter, who Santana at least had the sense to strip down to her diaper so she didn't ruin her dress.

"You get to feed her next time Santì," I say agitated.

Santana instantly lets go of Noah and makes her way over to me, shedding the cheep poncho on the way. "I'm sorry baby, we were just having a bit of fun, he found it funny that the baby kept throwing food at Tina, so we decided to teach him a little lesson. But you're right; we have been reversing habits that you and I have worked hard to change in the first place. I'm sorry." She says wrapping her arms around me.

I return the hug, and happen to look over her shoulder to see Tina helping Mike get a little bit of food out of his hair and Noah picking up Skylar and heading our way with a wicked smile on his face. I instantly know what is come and pull away from Santana. When she turns around to see where I went Noah places the baby in her arms. She quickly grips firmly onto the baby out of pure instinct not realizing what she just did.

About thirty seconds later she looks down at her dress, her mouth hanging open. "PUCK! This was a new dress!" She yells, looking down at her now dirty dress.

"Paybacks a b-" I send him a warning glare "rat" he laughs. He then quickly asks if he can use my bathroom to shower quickly, explaining that he has a few extra pairs of clothes in his car.

"Babe why don't you go clean up both you and Skylar in our bathroom." I tell her and she quickly makes her way upstairs.

"What do you mean 'our bathroom'?" Shelby asks in a motherly tone behind me.

Crap. Forgot she was in the room. Honestly I didn't even think about that before saying it, Santana is just here so much that I have come to think of this as her house too.

"She is just here a lot so it feels like her house too." I decide to be honest while leaving out the fact that she sleeps over all the time.

"How much is a lot?" She asks.

"She practically lives here," I say sheepishly while looking away from her.

"What!" She asks while look around to Antonio, who looks just as sheepish. "You allow this?"

"They stay at my house sometimes too. I don't see the point in trying to separate them honestly. You've talked to them, so they understand; the rest is in their hands. They are responsible Shel."

I am pretty sure that Antonio just told her all that because he knows that he would be in trouble also but either way I am eternally grateful. Shelby in mom mode is scarier than Shelby in VA mode. I didn't even think that was possible.

The older brunette looks between Tony and I before finally relenting with a nod and mumble that I couldn't quite make out. I quickly send a thankful smile over to Tony before making my way over to clean up the mess from the mini food fight. When I turn around though I see Tina and Mike cleaning up the last of the baby food off the ground.

"Guys you didn't have to do that, I could have gotten it." I tell them.

"It's your birthday Rach, you don't clean anything tonight. Plus it was our fault it was like that anyway so it's only right that we clean it." Mike tells me while going over to throw out the paper towel he was using.

"I hear that we are all coming together to celebrate the birth of Streisand!" A voice comes bellowing in from the entryway. There is only one person that could be.

Sue comes strolling into the kitchen a second later with a wrapped box in her hands. "Here you go Berry. Happy Birthday." She says handing over the present.

"Thanks Coach, but you really didn't have to get me anything." I tell her while moving into the living room.

"I know. That's what makes me so nice." She says nonchalantly as she sits down on a couch being careful not to wrinkle her jogging suit.

"Go on and open it Berry. I want to see your eyes light up with pure joy as you see what it is." She says. She actually looks relevantly excited about this, and I'm not sure if that should give me peace of mind or scare me shitless.

As I am about to open the gift Santana comes into the room with a squirmy and babbling Skylar. The Latina puts the little girl on the ground and she instantly crawls over to Sue and stands herself up against the couch.

"The minute she heard Coach's big mouth she wanted nothing to do with the bath I was giving her. It was a struggle to say the least." My girlfriend explains while sitting down next to me.

I really have never understood the attachment Sky formed with Sue but I find it kind of hilarious. Sue is most definitely not known for being nurturing and even though she still wouldn't be considered nurturing towards Sky she is good with her. She will play with the little girl and Sky is constantly giggling in her presence. The coach totally tries to make it seem like she doesn't care, but if you look closely when she's with the baby, you can see that her eyes light up just as much as Skylar's.

"Go ahead Streisand; open." Sue tells me again.

I nod my head and start to rip at the paper to reveal a red box with a metal label holder on the front. I hear 2 gasps from the back corner and a growl come from Santana.

"What the hell is this?" She asks angrily. I'm a little confused now.

"Calm your tits Lopez. It's about time I gave her this." Sue tells her.

"No it's not. Because giving her this takes away her option!" Santana spits back.

I am now thoroughly confused and decide to just open the damn box sitting on my lap. As soon as I do though I regret it. Oh no.

"Coach I appreciate this, but I –"

"You are already aware of when practices are since you have been disturbing them with this little monster for a while now. You are to wear this to school everyday; your two backups and your practice uniforms are all in your locker at school. Your practice uniform is only to be worn around school if absolutely necessary." Sue goes on to explain.

"Coach, I'm sorry but I really can't accept this."

"Nonsense. You've been given the uniform therefore you are on the squad." She says with a smug smile on her face. I now see why Santana was so angry.

"I didn't ask for this, and I'm sorry but I don't have time for the Cheerios. I come to practices to watch Santana, but I only come because I can bring Skylar with me. With school and glee I am already spending more time away from her than I like, I refused to take anything this time consuming on. I'm really sorry, but I can't, and won't be a Cheerio." I tell the older blonde as succinctly as possible.

I am seriously terrified right now. Everyone knows that no one says no to Coach Sylvester, but I can't do what she's asking me to do.

"What if I give you captaincy?" She offers

"Hey!" Santana says from next to me, I can't help but laugh at the look on her face.

Skylar also sees the upset look on Santana's face but instead of thinking it's funny she decides to shimmy her way off of Sue's lap and crawls over to the Latina. Santana doesn't hesitate to pick her up and snuggle the little girl to her chest.

"Sandbags I am just trying to do what I need to do to get your girlfriend on the squad." Sue reasons.

"I don't understand why this is so important to you, I get that we need a flier but we have plenty of girls lining up to fill that position, in fact I am more than willing to bet Q wants to fill that position. Rae just explained that she doesn't have time to join so why are you pressing it?" Santana asks irritably. I smile over at her before snuggling into her side.

"Because she's a proven champion." Sue says simply.

"I haven't won anything except Sectionals. We lost the Regionals I was at sophomore year." I say confused.

"True. But I could care less about New Directions. I was talking more about the little monster in Santana's arms. If you can raise someone as perfect as that, even though she definitely is going to have your personality, you are what I need for my squad. You went though a lot of crap last year and you not only made it through, but also prospered while doing so. You're a born Cheerio, and I want you on the squad." Sue explains.

"Can I at least think about it? I get that no one says no to a Cheerios uniform, but you're asking a lot of me right now."

"Sure. Let me know Monday. I know I'm asking a lot, but I'm sure that we can work something out with Baby Streisand." Sue says with a tiny smile. She never ceases to confuse and amaze me.

The next half hour is spent with cleaning up and small talk. At ten on the dot all the adults start to get pushed out the door. Skylar is placed in her car seat and I kiss the sleeping beauty on her cheeks and forehead while Santana kisses her on the belly.

"Please call me if you need anything, and I mean _anything_. She has never been away from me for this long, so if she wakes up she may be afraid or something…" I ramble on.

"Rach calm down. I have cared for a baby before, but I will call if I need you. Please just try to have fun," Shelby tells me before looking over my shoulder to where Santana is listening to Tony whine about not getting to watch Skylar, "but not too much fun. And _you_ call _me_ if you need anything. I will come no questions asked ok?" She says before pulling me in for a hug and kissing my temple.

"Ok thanks mom." I tell her before saying goodbye and allowing her to leave.

Once we have said goodbye to Tony also, I am dragged upstairs by the girls and into my room. We all get changed into more… house party worthy outfits and go downstairs to wait for the fun to begin.

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><p><strong><strong>Hope you all liked it!<strong>**

**Let me know what you think about Rachel joining the Cheerios! I am thinking I am going to just take a vote from you guys and go with that lol.. so please let me know!**

**Please leave a review guys! They make my day and seeing as I'm at work, I need something to lighten my day! lol**


	33. Chapter 33

**2 chapters it 2 days! and both were actually longish! lol **

**So this is a birthday gift for Pezberrylover0612 (bahaha just got your Penname as i wrote it out lmfao) hope you have a good birthday!**

**Thank you all for the reviews, alerts and favorites for this fic! you all great! I cant believe this fic has over 900 review!**

**Here is the second part of the party :) It did not really turn out the way that i wanted it to, and I'm not sure if i like the way it did turn out.. but you guys can be the judges i guess :/**

**Huge thanks to my beta GE0309! She managed to get this back to me in like 2 hours! If she wasn't so amazing you guys wouldn't be getting this chapter so quick!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own any of the characters you have see on Glee before!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 33<strong>_

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

The party starts about a half hour later when slowly but surely all of the Cheerios make their way to the door. With just the Trouble Tones alone, the party is already pretty big, but I have a feeling that they are not the last of the guests. I try not to freak out about the noise or the amount of people because honestly there was no way the neighbors could hear anything, my dads had the entire house soundproofed years ago when the cops kept being called because of my singing. However it seems like every third person was bringing in another bottle of alcohol.

"Just relax baby, everything is going to be fine." Santana says into my ear as she walks up behind me and wraps her arms around me.

"I don't think I'm going to drink Santì. It's too big of a responsibility and if I'm intoxicated also…" I am cut off as Santana turns me around to face her.

"Rae it's alright. I have four of the Baby Cheerios on sober duty and they are aware of their responsibility and the consequences if they break them." She tells me with a chaste kiss to the lips.

"That's not fair to them." I argue.

"But it's fair to have you not drink at your own birthday party? Look it's fine really. The Cheerios have a system, if there is a party at any of our houses then sobers are assigned. It goes on a cycle through the first few years. It's like a team initiation."

"That sounds a lot like hazing." I say skeptically.

"Call it what you will, but it works. Everyone on the squad has had to do it unless they came on during their senior year. I've done it, Britt's has done it, and even Queen Quinn has done it. They are used to it and if they're not then they had better get used to it."

"Are you sure?" I ask still worried.

"Yes, if anything happens they know they're off the squad so they would never risk that. Plus they love you so they wouldn't let anything happen. Believe me baby, everything will be fine."

"Alright," I finally relent and we go into the kitchen so that she can make me a drink. It ended up being quite tasty actually, basically a Shirley Temple with vodka in it. I decide that instead of drinking heavily from the beginning that I will take it slowly until the party is going a little stronger.

Soon after, a few middle ranked people from school, people from basketball and baseball ect., show up and the party starts to really get going. However when everything seems to still randomly, I am glad that I started out slowly.

I look over to Santana to see that her brows are furrowed in confusion as she grabs my hand and moves me towards the front of the house to see what was going on. When we get to the entryway we stop dead in our tracks. What seems like three quarters of the football team is standing just inside the door. Karofsky along with six other guys look to be holding slushies.

No one has attempted to slushy me since the time Santana got slushied. I can't believe that they are choosing now, at my birthday party, to break that streak. I instantly shrink back on instinct.

Santana steps towards them and I can see that she is fuming. "What the _fuck _do you think you are all doing? You weren't even invited here, yet you think it's ok to crash and then slushy the guest of honor?" Santana asks angrily.

They all move past her as if she hadn't even spoken. One of the footballers steps in front of her and stops while Karofsky stops in front of me, I look around the party and see that five of the others move to stand in front of Puck, Tina, Mike, Brittany, and Quinn. We all share worried looks like the footballers all nod to each other. What the hell is about to happen?

The next thing I know Karofsky is handing the slushy to me along with a straw that I hadn't even noticed was behind his ear. I take it from him completely confused while looking around and watching everyone else do the same.

"I've been trying to figure out a way to do this for a while now. I totally stole this move from Puckerman, I saw him make amends with you like this sophomore year and decided to use it. We have all be complete dicks to not only you but also everyone in glee, and we wanted to show you that that bullshit is over now. Most of the guys on the team agreed, some didn't, but everyone here tonight wanted to ask for your forgiveness. If you still want us to leave we completely understand." He tells me.

I look to his right to see Santana staring back at us with a completely dumbfounded look on her face. It's obvious that she had nothing to do with this transformation. I look over to Noah and see he is the same. This seems like an honest to goodness apology by half of the football team. Never thought I'd see the day. Even though most of them have been being nicer to me, I never thought anything like this would happen.

"You are all more then welcome to stay." Tell him while putting the straw in the slushy and taking a sip. My face instantly contorts into one of disgust.

"Oh yeah sorry you may want to stir that the alcohol tends to sink to the bottom if you don't." He chuckles. "I meant to warn you about that but you didn't really give me a chance."

"You put alcohol in your 'Please Forgive me Slushies'?" I ask amused.

"Yes! It's a party isn't it?" He says excitedly.

Everyone laughs as we all start having fun again. After stirring the slushy cocktail it ended up being just as good as the first drink I had, I ended up drinking all of mine along with maybe half of Tina's since she said that she wasn't a fan of grape slushy.

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I left Rachel with Tina and Mike for a little bit so I could go talk to Britt and Quinn and when I came back she was emptying her slushy. I am glad that she decided to let loose after all but I don't think she realized how much alcohol the football players dumped into those things. I finished mine already too, but I'm a bit more experienced when it comes to drinking.

I come up behind her and wrap my arms around her while nibbling lightly on her ear.

"Hey baby," I whisper huskily into her ear.

"Babe!" She screams and turns around, launching herself at me and pulling me into a deep, but sloppy kiss.

She is clearly already drunk. Did they make hers stronger than mine, even with her being a lightweight it shouldn't have had this much of an effect on her so quickly. Was that their plan? To get her smashed so she makes a fool out of herself?

I look over to wear Rachel just dumped the empty slushy cup and see that there is already one in the same spot. I look up confused and over to Tina who is giving me a sheepish look.

"I didn't realize how strong they were. I gave her a little of mine too." She tells me.

I let out a sigh because Rachel is going to be in pain tomorrow, but I'll deal with that when it happens; right now I just want to have a good night with my girl and friends.

I shrug off Tina's guilty look at nod my head towards the make shift dance floor. All four of us make out way over and I instantly pull Rachel close to me. The diva does not hesitate to start grinding her ass into me as we sway to the music. This only causes me to hold her closer until finally she turns around so we're facing each other.

A few songs later and I'm dying of thirst and I figure she probably is too. I tell her that I'd be right back with drinks for us and make my way to the kitchen. I decide to just make Rachel a Shirley Temple without any alcohol this time because she is already drunk and I don't see a reason to push her luck. When she starts to sober up a little then she can have more.

When I make my way back to the living room I nearly drop both drinks. My girlfriend is currently grinding up on Jasmine, the girl's soccer captain. I stomp up to the two of them and grip a hold of the girl's arm, pulling her away from my girl.

"Jasmine what the hell do you think your doing?" I yell at the girl.

"Chill San. I'm just getting my dance on!" The girl tries a lame imitation of me. I can tell right off the bat that she is wasted but that doesn't make it ok to try and steal my girl.

"Babe, we were just dancing. I was just waiting for you to get back." Rachel giggles out as she comes up and snuggles into my side. She starts kissing the underside of my jaw and I need to bite back a moan as I send a glare to the soccer player.

"Move along Jasmine, before I move you myself," I threaten and even in her drunken state the girl knows to flee. I can't help but chuckle at how feared I am by most of these girls.

I push Rachel away a little to hand her the drink and realize maybe I should have brought her some water instead, but at least the drink is alcohol free.

We start dancing again while periodically taking sips of our drinks. When I finish mine I am feeling good and definitely closer to the level that Rachel is on.

I pull the shorter brunette closer to me and push my hips forward more as I move her hair off to the side and start kissing her neck. She responds with fervor as she pushes her ass even farther into me and lets out a moan just loud enough for me to hear. Without warning she turns around and connects our lips as we continues to dance. When she pushes her thigh between mine and shifts it so that it connects with my core I pull back and quickly grab her hand, dragging her out of the room. She instantly takes the hint and grabs hold of my arm and starts half running along with me, giggling the whole way.

Luckily the Baby Cheerios listened when I told them that no one besides the core members of the Trouble Tones were allowed upstairs. I really do not need anyone going upstairs to fuck in any of the rooms or to mess with anything, especially the nursery. I send the girl sitting on the bottom step a quick smile as we pass her and flee the rest of the way to Rachel's room.

Before even opening the door, I press my girlfriend against the door and kiss her with as much passion as possible. She immediately slides her tongue across the seam of my lips requesting access that she gets instantly. Her tongue makes quick work of massaging my tongue and exploring my mouth as if it didn't know it by heart already. I let out a moan as I feel my tongue being sucked on and take that as my cue to start my explorations. I follow a similar path Rachel's tongue had while lowering my hands to feel her perfect body.

When I grab a hold of her firm ass she lets out a moan and her hands move to my hair. I lift her up and she instantly gets the hint and wraps her legs around me. With her center pushed into my hips I feel her start to grind gently into me.

I pull back from her lips and start to pepper wet kisses down her jaw line. "We need to move inside the room," I tell her between kisses. When I feel, rather than see, her nod I grip her ass firmly with one hand and pull her away from the door while using the other hand to open the bedroom door.

When I hear a moan, it just spurs my actions on further as I move her ass to help her grind into me further, even before shutting the door. I have never been so thankful for Sue's crazy workouts. But when Rachel moans into my ear, even in my drunken state, I can tell that the two moans I just heard are not the same. I use both hands to still Rachel's hips, which causes her to let out a frustrated growl into my ear.

When I hear another sting of moans coming from inside the room I instantly put Rachel down on the ground and turn on the lights. Rachel starts giggling as we take in two half naked blondes. One of which yelps and falls off the bed while the other giggles along with Rachel.

"What the hell are you two doing in here?" I ask irritably. One because they were using Rachel's bed for something only Rachel and I should be using it for and two because they were interrupting my time with Rachel!

"I thought that was kind of obvious." Brittany says in her bubbly voice, though a pout quickly forms on her lips. "I was totally getting farther than I ever had before. I totally never got to do any of that with her boobs before!" Britt says indignantly, clearly pissed we cut off her sexy times.

I hear Quinn let out a groan from the floor, though I'm not sure if it's from getting interrupted or at the embarrassment from this moment.

"You ok down there Quinnie?" Rachel mocks, I quickly elbow her to tell her to lay off. Quinn is still fragile about this entire thing.

"Shut it Rach, you'd be upset too if you had just been interrupted so close to the finish line!" Quinn snaps back with nothing but frustration in her voice.

"Oh it happens to us all the time." I answer.

"You have no idea how many times that happens with a eight month old in the house," Rae answers at the same time.

"And if I remember correctly you all sent Britt up to interrupt us once _and _you just interrupted us again!" Rachel adds.

"How did we interrupt you! You walked in on us!" Quinn shoots back, though again it sounds more like bickering than it does fighting.

"This is my room! I was trying to –" I cover Rachel's mouth with my hand to cut her off from finishing that sentence.

I may be open with my friends, but really there is no need for us to advertise what we were about to do.

I drop my arm when I feel it's safe to remove my hand and Rachel lets out a giggle. "Quinn you may want to put on your shirt… and bra," she says while bending down and picking up a lacey bra. I can't hold back my laugh anymore, I tried, I really did, but that is just too much.

"Oh shut up and pass me that." Quinn huffs.

"Don't be embarrassed babe, you're totally sexy." Brittany tries to reassure her girlfriend, however it only manages to make Quinn blush more.

"I need another drink." Quinn mutters and Brittany quickly stands, unabashed by the fact that she is also completely topless. Rachel and I turn away towards the door, both knowing how possessive Quinn can be, while the girls finish getting dress.

"This totally just ruined our moment, didn't it?" Rachel pouts.

I think about her words for a second before looking at her. "Rae you know that we weren't going to be having sex tonight right? When we make love for the first time it's going to be just that – making love – not us having a quickie in the middle of a party." I don't even think about my words before they are out, but once I hear them I realize just how they sounded. I can only hope that she knew I didn't mean it like that.

"I know Santì, that doesn't mean we can't find other ways to pleasure each other." She says bluntly. Wow never expected Rachel to be this open, even while drunk.

"I'm sorry babe, but the mood is kind of ruined now, don't you think?"

"Yes." She grumbles. "Promise we can get our mack on later though?" She asks with a cheeky smile.

"Promise." I tell her while kissing her cheek.

Just then there is a loud knock at the door. "Spin the bottle bitches, come play!" Puck yells from the other side of the door.

We all roll our eyes at him and make our way out of the room. When we get into the living room we see Noah and a few random girls along with Tina and Mike sitting in a circle.

I look at the group wearily since we usually play these games with only the glee club, mostly because it gets to big otherwise.

"There's not really enough people to be inclusive anymore, so I asked a select few to join us." Puck answers my unasked question.

I roll my eyes at the fact that he only thought to bring girls, but then realize that besides Tina, everyone else in our group technically likes girls. I just shrug and take a seat in the circle, pulling Rachel down next to me.

"Everyone knows the rules! If the bottle lands on the same person twice than they have 7 minutes in heaven. If either person doesn't want to kiss the person then they have to down a shot, if they want to get out of 7 minutes in heaven it costs 2 shots. Lets get this party started! Birthday girl goes first!" Puck announces as he hands Rachel the empty Sky Vodka bottle.

Before she spins Rachel turns to me and kisses me quickly. She then sets the bottle on the hardwood floor and spins it in one swift movement. When the bottle finally stops I look up towards where the bottle is pointing to and anger instantly flares up inside of me. How the hell did I not realize that Jasmine was sitting with us?

The girl is wearing a smug smile as she looks from the bottle up to Rachel. Oh hell no! This is exactly what she wanted! How did this happen on the first spin?

"No! I really don't think so!" I say angrily.

"Rules are rules San, she can either kiss the hottie or take the shot. Your call Rach."

I could hit Puck right now. Actually that sounds like a good idea. I reach over and slap the boy upside the head earning snickers from around the circle.

"Santì do you want me to take the shot? I'll do whatever you want me to do."

I know that Rachel probably doesn't need another shot but at the same time I really don't want her kissing the soccer player.

"Satan it's just a kiss, your girl isn't going to leave you over one kiss." Puckerman reasons and finally I give her the go ahead to follow the rules of the game.

Of course Jasmine can't just play nice, instead she instantly tugs Rachel towards her, basically onto her lap, and starts trying to make me jealous. Within seconds Jasmine is trying to shove her tongue in Rachel's mouth.

Rachel pulls back and away from the girl quickly after that. "I'm assuming that fulfilled my duty for the game?" she asks Puck who just nods.

Instead of sitting down next to me, Rachel jumps on my lap, straddling me, and brings me in for a deep kiss. Almost instantly our tongues meet and Rachel moans into the kiss.

"Ok, Ok! If I spin and it lands on that monstrosity then I get to choose who I kiss. Just a warning." Jasmine yells.

I roll my unopened eyes and pull back.

"I'm always yours San, no matter what." Rachel whispers, albeit loudly in her drunken state, before climbing off my lap.

"Spin." Rachel deadpans.

"Happily," the soccer captain says in a cocky tone.

I watch the bottle spin and spin until it slows. As it is about to stop it is obvious that the damn this is about to land on Rachel. Seriously what the fuck are the chances? As it is about to stop a foot shoots out and kicks the bottle sending to rolling around to stop on Puck.

"What that's cheating! We all saw who it was going to land on!" Jasmine protests.

"Sorry, I saw a bug." Brittany says nonchalantly. I have no idea how she says stuff like that without even cracking a smile. I send her a huge, thankful smile, which she returns with the smallest hint of smirk. She knows that no one will yell at her so she can get away with shit like that.

Jasmine huffs before continuing her argument, "Whatever, we all know who it was going to land on, I'm taking Rachel into the closet!"

"I already came out of the closet, I have no interest in going back in." Rachel giggles out earning chuckles all around.

"Rules are rules it was going to land on you so you earned your self 7 minutes in heaven," Jasmine argues getting up.

"I didn't see who it was going to land on, all I saw is that it _did_ land on Puck, and technically the rules say that you kiss who the bottle _stops _on." Tina argues giggly.

"Rules are rules." I say smugly.

"This is bullshit. I'm out of here." Jasmine says petulantly before getting up and storms away and straight out of the house.

"First rule of storm outs, don't leave your shit behind!" Rachel yells back to the girl pointing to her purse. We all crack up at Rachel's attempt to school someone on the art of storm outs.

Our laughter intensifies when Jasmine huffs back to the circle grabs her purse and says, "I'm really seriously leaving now," and then again storms off.

"Rule number two! If you must come back you come back without a word!" Rachel calls out again.

This right here is why I love this girl.

Since Noah should have had the last kiss, he spins the bottle again and it lands on Brittany. Quinn tries to cover up the growl with a cough, since technically only the core members of the Trouble Tones know about the Quitt romance, however her cover up ended up turning into a louder growl when she saw Pucks hands grab a hold of Britt's ass.

"That's enough!" Quinn finally breaks when she's had enough "That's plenty good enough for this fucking game!"

Yup, Quinn's still an angry drunk.

When Brittany sits back down she spins the bottle quickly and then lays her head on Quinn's shoulder waiting for it to spin to a stop. When it finally does it lands on Tina, making us all start to laugh. The kiss is awkward to say the least as Brittany tries to deepen the kiss and Tina squeaks and pulls back.

"Shots!" Puck calls out as he hands out the shot glasses and pulls out the bottle of Rum.

"What?" Rachel yells. "How did we go from Spin the Bottle to shots?"

"If you don't get 5 spins in 5 minutes you have to take a shot!" He calls out. That was seriously a stupid rule we made up in freshman year because everyone was too chicken shit to get the game done quick enough.

"Rules are Rules!" He yells out as he fills her shot glass.

"Fine." She says while looking down at the shot glass in her hand wearily. I realize now that she probably has never taken one of these before.

"Just tilt your head back and open your throat. _Do not_ try to sip at it or let it sit in your mouth for any amount of time." I instruct and she nods her understanding.

As soon as she swallows she starts coughing. I hand her a bottle of water that Puck hands me, he must have figured this would happen, and she chugs it down. We all chuckle at her as she dramatically takes deep breaths as if she thinks she's dying. After a minute she looks around sheepishly and flicks her wrist to tell us to continue the game. We all crack up again before Tina spins the bottle and lands on me.

I decide to make a show out of it, as I sultrily crawl over to her. She responds with a squeal and a shake of the head as she downs a second shot.

"Afraid of a little sapphic lovin' there T?" I giggle out.

"No I'm not opposed to trying it, but you and Britt are too aggressive for my first attempt. Rachel perhaps." Tina giggles out, causing Mike to snap his eyes shut, to calm himself down no doubt.

"Sorry T, but I think you've got that wrong. While Rae is an amazing kisser, I don't think I'd call her less aggressive," I tell her expecting Rachel to be embarrassed and blush, instead the diva is wearing a huge beam and shaking her head no. I start cracking up at how forward and open she is while drunk.

"I like to take everything I can get!" She says proudly.

I kiss her cheek and then lean forward and spin the bottle. It lands on Mike and with an equal shake of the head we laugh and take a shot each. I love Mike like a brother so I really don't think I could sit here and make out with him even if it is just for a game. Plus both of us are too sober and could use another shot. Mike lands on a random Cheerio sitting in the circle. The Cheerio ends up landing on Quinn. Quinn cautiously kisses the Cheerio but quickly throws caution to the win when she hears Brittany murmur 'hot' behind her. Apparently Quinn has no problem showing her sexuality more when she is drunk.

After another thirty seconds Quinn pulls back with a smirk on her face and spins the bottle on her way to sit. When it lands on her girlfriend she doesn't even sit all the way down, instead she just launches herself at Brittany and instantly deepens the kiss. When her hips start to gyrate I decide that I should break this up before people read too far into it.

"Ok guys! Moving on!" I yell over to them and only receive a certain finger from Quinn in return.

I just gape at my friend's rudeness as Rachel giggles and leans over to the pair and whispers something to them that finally makes them separate and puts a sheepish smile on Quinn's face.

"What did you tell them?" I asked her curiously.

"I just let them know that their gay was showing," Rachel whispers back, "and that they had no where to finish what they were starting."

I literally laugh so loud that half the party looks over to me. That is just great.

When the bottle spins again it lands squarely on Rachel. Brittany cheers while Rachel looks worriedly over to me. I violently nod my head. Hey I might have had a problem watching Rachel kiss Jasmine, but I think her and Britt would be hot.

With a shrug of the shoulders Rachel is sitting on Brittany's lap and their lips are connected quickly. I vaguely hear Mike ask when sitting on each other's laps became a game rule but I completely ignore him. The scene in front of me is both unexpectedly spiking my jealousy and extremely turning me on at the same time.

"I have an amazing idea!" Mike yells out randomly, effectively separating Brittany and Rachel. "BODY SHOTS!" He yells out as he stands causing everyone in the room to cheer.

"You up for it?" I ask Rachel and she stands and nods excitedly.

"I get to do it off of you after." She says with a wink that makes me glad that I'm sitting still because otherwise my knees would have given out.

She helps me stand and then pulls me into the kitchen and quickly takes off her shit and lays on the table leaning up on her elbows. Everyone from the living room piles into the kitchen and starts to hoot and holler at my shirtless girlfriend. If I wasn't so turned on by this I would probably have a problem with all the gawking guys staring at her.

I grab the salt and lick her collarbone to help it stick, put the lime in her mouth and then fill the shot glass. With one look into her eyes I climb onto the table with her, straddling her thighs and hand the shot to Brittany. I lick off the salt and the blonde quickly streams the alcohol down Rachel's cleavage and I watch as the alcohol streams down under her bra and to her abs where I start to lick a clean line up. Once I get most of the alcohol off I move up and suck the lime into my mouth, biting it slightly to get a bit of juice out. I then go back to Rae's cleavage and start cleaning the tequila off more thoroughly, earning a moan from Rachel.

I barely hear the cheers through all of this but once I'm back to reality I realize that the kitchen is absolutely filled to capacity and girls and guys alike are looking at us with sex in their eyes. Before I can process anything Rach has our positions switched and my shirt over my head.

"My turn," is all she says as she attaches herself to the base of my neck, sucking greedily.

After she is satisfied with her mark, she pulls back and puts salt on the spot, causing me to hiss from the salt hitting the newly formed hickey. Rachel pulls back to make sure I'm ok and I just nod my head to tell her to continue. She then grabs the lime and sticks it in my mouth with a wink and waits for Britt to ready the shot glass. Once everything is ready Rachel licks up the salt and sticks her tongue in my belly button waiting for the alcohol. She slides her tongue slowly up my body, trying to lick up every drop and then takes the lime in her mouth. I see her jaw clench slightly to tell me that she took a bite and then watch as she spits it out and attacks my lips with her own. I instantly drop my elbows to lie flat on the table as she lies firmly on top of me. I grab a hold of her ass and moan into the kiss.

"Uh guys…" One of the sober Baby Cheerios says timidly, obviously not sure if she should be interrupting.

"What is it?" I ask trying to keep my irritation out of my voice not at all liking the fact that I am being interrupted for the second time tonight.

"Finn Hudson is trying to get in." She says fearfully.

"What! You're not letting him in are you?" I ask while regretfully pushing Rachel off of me.

"NO! But he isn't leaving either. Can you try and get rid of him please." She asks worriedly.

I stumble off the table and to the front door. Just great, he couldn't come when I was sober, he had to come when I was wasted? As I approach the boy I can already clearly see that he is wasted also. That may work to my advantage.

"What do you think your doing Finn? You weren't invited here." I tell him.

"I came to celebrate Rachel's Birthday!" He says with a drunken cheer.

"Well you weren't invited so you can leave now." I tell him angrily.

"I'm not going anywhere Satan. Rachel totally wants me here. I can tell by the way she walks down the halls that she wants me. So I'm sorry to tell you but you just lost your girlfriend to me!" He says victoriously.

Is this kid kidding? Apparently drunk Finn is even more stupid than regular Finn, didn't even think it's possible.

"Yeah alright Finn, time for you to go." I tell him pushing him towards the door.

"I'm not going anywhere without Rachel!" He yells.

"Finn I'm not going anywhere with you! Even if I wasn't with Santana I wouldn't be with you!" Rachel yells from behind me. "Now get the hell out of my house!" She screams.

"If you kick me out I'll just call the cops!" He yells back. "You will be with me Rachel, might as well not fight it!"

Why are people trying to steal my girl? Honestly two in one night?

"You call the cops while your even in the area and you get arrested too Finnocence." Puck tells him. I have no words for how happy I am for Puckerman right now. I would have never thought about that while being this drunk.

"Fine, I'll go home and then call!" He announces as he walks out of the house.

As soon as he is around the block I turn to everyone in the house. "If you were not invited to sleep over tonight…GET OUT!" I scream and everyone quickly makes their way out of the house.

I turn around to try and take control of this situation. How the hell did Rachel's birthday party get ruined by Finn Hudson? I try to find Rachel, figuring that she will be freaking out, to calm her down to find her on the phone.

"Sorry to wake you. Can you get here ASAP? I'll explain when you get here, just bring the babies with you there's only a few people here and no one will be drinking anymore. Thanks." She says into the cell before hanging up.

"My mom is coming here, I figured if she answers the door and tells the cops that she was here all night that they will leave." She tells me.

How the hell did my incredibly drunk girlfriend figure that out on her own?

"Great plan! You're a genius baby!" I tell her while grabbing her waist and pulling to her to me.

Everyone else rolls their eyes and leaves Rachel and I in the entryway. I pull Rachel into a hungry kiss. As the kiss gets more heated I push her back against a wall and lift her into my arms. Just like before, she wraps her legs around my waist. She leaves my lips only to place wet kisses down my neck and to my shoulder, all the while her hips start to move again.

I don't hear anything but the sounds that Rachel and I are making until… "OH GOD! Seriously! You choose to great me like that at 3am?" Shelby yells lowly as not to wake the two babies in car seats on each side of her.

With a little squeal Rachel jumps out of my arms and towards her mother. "Sorry I didn't know you were here. How did you get in?" she asks with a cute, confused look on her face.

"Ok one…I got in by the unlocked door. Two…where the hell are your shirts? Three…why was I called out of bed and over here at three in the morning?" Shelby asks as she lowers a finger with each number.

"And last but not least…how much have you two had to drink?" She finishes

"Uh ok…two I think they're in the kitchen. Three…the cops are being called on us probably. Four…a good amount?" I answer fearful of her answer.

"What do you mean the cops are being called?" She asks hurriedly.

"Finn came and was a huge jerk face and told us he was calling the cops when we wouldn't let him in even though he was _super_ drunk to." Rachel explains with a drunken pout.

I'm so dead right now. Not only did she just walk in on my making out with her topless daughter, but I also got said daughter wasted and risked getting her in trouble for underage drinking as well as a distributing to minors charge.

"Ok sweetie, I'm sorry he ruined your fun and your party but why don't we all go into the other room." Shelby says placating.

I am extremely confused as to why she isn't more pissed right now. I mean sure she knew what was going to be going on tonight, but still I think my dad would be freaking out a bit more.

When we get into the living room, we find it completely trashed and the people that are still here are lying in whatever clean parts they could find around the room. None of them really acknowledge our presence.

"Is this where you guys are planning on sleeping?" Shelby asks with disgust on her face.

"No they are supposed to be scattered around the basement, we made sure to keep people out of there so that it would remain clean. Rae and I will be in her bed obviously," I say without thinking.

"Obviously," Shelby says with a scoff. I face palm at how stupid of a comment that was.

"You are more than welcome to take the guest bed and the play pen for Beth so you don't have to drive back home again." I offer trying to smooth things over.

"Yeah that's probably a good idea, why don't we go get the kids set up. Rachel can you get these guys downstairs?" She asks her daughter.

"Yep." Rachel answers and then goes about wrangling everyone up and downstairs.

"If the cops do come, assuming Finn doesn't forget by the time he gets home, I want you to make sure that every underage drunk kid in this house remains silent. No one can make any noise or you guys and probably me are toast. You got it?" She asks me and I nod my head quickly.

After we get the little girls into their respective sleeping spots, I go downstairs to check on everyone and find most of them passed out already. Rachel is sitting in the corner of the room talking quietly to Tina and Mike.

"Hey guys I hate to interrupt, but since you're the only ones up I want to tell you that if the cops come you have to remain silent. Like don't even talk to each other, we need to make sure that they don't know that anyone in the house is up." I tell them and they all nod their understanding. "Rae why don't we go up to bed." I tell the girl and she just nods and gets up and hugs me tightly.

"Thank you for the best birthday ever Santì. It was amazing, just like you." She says just loud enough for me to hear. I hug her back tightly.

We make our way upstairs and just as we enter the living room there is a knock at the door. Shelby, who was cleaning up a few things in the living room, tells us to stand where they can't see us and be absolutely quiet.

Like magic I watch Shelby's face contort into one of sleepiness as she leaves the room.

I hear the door open and Shelby talk over a yawn, "Can I help you officer?" I can hear the confusion and tiredness in her voice.

"I'm sorry to disturb you ma'am, but we received a tip that there is a party going on here with underage drinking." A Female officer replies.

"I'm not sure how that's possible officer, I think I would have heard something like that happening inside the house." Shelby responds with a small chuckle. "Maybe the caller got the address wrong." She offers.

"Maybe, the kid probably wasn't the most responsible tip." A male officer responds with a small laugh.

"Was it a young gentleman?" Shelby asks curiously. "Because a Finn Hudson came here about an hour ago and was quite upset when I turned him away. He seemed quite intoxicated to me. He wanted to see my daughter, but I told him that he would have to wait until morning. Two in the morning isn't really the most appropriate time for an ex to show up at our door." She tells them, with a little bit of irritation in her voice.

"That must be what happened ma'am. Sorry to have woken you for the second time tonight." The male officer responds.

"Yeah you would have thought that there would be a noise complaint if there were a party going on here." The female cop reasons.

With another set of apologies and goodbyes the police officers get back in their cruiser and leave. I have never seen Shelby in action but from that performance I honestly don't understand how she didn't make it on Broadway.

"Ok you two, up to bed. Make sure to bring water and Advil with you because I can guarantee you'll need it." She tells us.

I don't wait to be told twice, or yelled at, before grabbing my girlfriend's hand and dragging her up the stairs.

Damn. What a night!

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><p><strong>Hope this lived up to everyones expectations :)<strong>

**The newest OC is inspired by and dedicated to my girl ;) you know who you are! **

**Still trying to figure out if Rachel should be a Cheerio so if you haven't told me your opinion yet please let me know! **

**Please leave me a review to let me know what you think!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Hey guys! I know I told a few people that this would be up yesterday and told everyone that there wouldnt be huge gaps anymore.. and I really did try.. but I hit a serious case of writers block with this chapter really did not want to be written :/ So I've come to the conclusion that I should not make any more promises... but I will try my best not to have this happen again**

**So I am not really completely happy with the way this turned out honestly.. but I have made you guys wait so long that I figured something was better than nothing :/**

**There is a special scene in here that is dedicated to my girl ;) Hope you like it babe!**

**Huge thanks to GE0309 for being an amazing beta!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own glee!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 34<strong>_

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

Before even opening my eyes I feel like someone is pounding on my head with a hammer. I have no idea what's going on right now. It feels an awful lot like the morning after Skylar was conceived actually. That can only mean one thing. Hangover.

"Shit." I mutter out as I internally battle with myself about whether I should open my eyes or not.

"Yep." Santana answers from next to me. "I'm betting you're not feeling too hot" she giggles out.

"How can you giggle at a time like this? I think my head is going to explode." I say in a whine.

"Well I didn't drink as much as you did; which is saying a lot since I have I higher tolerance than you do." She explains while kissing my cheek.

"Are you going to open those beautiful eyes of yours at any point?" She asks with another giggle.

"No." I say as a loud and drawn out whine.

"If you open your eyes you can take this Advil and drink some water. That may help with the pain." She offers.

I let out a huff as I crack open my left eye and then slam it shut again and throw the blankets over my head.

"Why is it so damn bright out there?" I yell.

Santana starts cracking up at a decibel that causes me even more pain. I let out a low growl and she seems to pick up on my pain because she instantly stops laughing.

"Babe open your eyes under the covers and then slowly work your way out so that your eyes adjusts slowly." She says softly.

I take her advice and about a minute later my eyes are opened and I am out from under the comforter. I swallow down the three Advil when they are offered to me and then snuggle into her side.

"Happy Birthday babe." She says with a smile and a kiss to my cheek.

"Thanks" I say with a small smile. I haven't had anyone besides my dads wish me a happy birthday in a long time. I am pretty sure that the last person who did was Noah back before we grew apart. Finn never could remember when my birthday was.

"I know that you're in pain now, but was last night worth it?" Santana asks in a timid voice.

"Are you serious? Last night was the best birthday I could have asked for Santì. You did amazingly." I tell her seriously and I rub my hand over her stomach.

It takes me a second to realize that she is shirtless. I look down and notice I am also.

"Why are we not wearing shirts?" I ask as I sit up quickly, instantly regretting the action when my head and stomach both scream in protest. I grab my head and stomach at the same time.

"You need to relax or you'll make yourself sick. I'm honestly surprised you haven't been sick already." Santana muses.

"Why are we shirtless Santana?" I ask again.

"Because we did body shots and needed to be topless for that. Don't worry as much as we both wanted to, we did not go to far last night." She tells me while guiding me back to lie next to her.

I let out a relieved sigh as I allow myself to lie down. Before I have any time to process the explanation though my stomach lurches at the feeling of being on my back again and I instantly jump out of bed and run to the en suite. Within seconds of being in the bathroom I feel Santana pull my hair up and start rubbing my back.

After a few minutes I lean back and avoid my girlfriend's eye contact.

"Well isn't that just great? Exactly what I wanted you to see." I say sarcastically while leaning my back against the tub.

"Oh stop, it's not like throwing up after drinking is uncommon." She soothes as she sits next to me and wraps her arm around my shoulder.

We sit like that for a few moments while waiting to see if my stomach is calm enough for us to get up. After I decide that it is, we stand and walk back into my room. We get dressed into something a little more appropriate and make our way downstairs. The instant we hit the stairs we smell the telltale signs of breakfast foods and my stomach can't decide if it wants to throw up again at the smell or if it wants to eat everything in the kitchen.

When we step into the kitchen I stop dead in my tracks. I had totally forgotten that Shelby had come by last night to save us from the cops. This morning just went from bad to worse. As I stare at her, the missing pieces of my night start to flood back.

Not only had she saved the day, but she had also walked in on me being pinned against a wall topless making out with my equally topless girlfriend. Just great. I finally stop staring at Shelby only to look at the table to see almost everyone was up including Skylar and Beth. Now not only do I feel hung over and mortified, but I also feel ashamed and guilty for not taking care of my daughter this morning.

"Hey sleeping beauties." Shelby says with a chuckle when she finally spots us standing in the doorway. "Skylar is fed and changed though it wasn't exactly easy to get her to take a bottle and baby food." She explains with another laugh.

How could I have slept though Skylar waking up? How did I not hear her crying? Not only would she have been crying to get out of the crib, but she also would have been screaming her head off about someone other than me (or Santana on a rare occasion) trying to feed her a bottle, not to mention her aversion to being fed solid food.

"I'm so sorry that you were forced to do that. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" I ask.

"No Sweetie it's fine. I figured you'd be a little… under the weather today anyway." She says with a laugh.

I don't understand, how is she being so calm right now. She walked into this house yesterday to bail us out of trouble, with two kids under the age of two mind you, to find her daughter wasted and a group of other underage kids drunk as well. Not to mention that as she walked in on the Latina and I making out topless. How is she not freaking out on us? The to top it off I completely neglect my mothering duties. Great mother I am.

"Relax." She says cupping my cheek; I don't even know when she walked over to me. "From what I've gathered this is your first time really drinking, and all in all things turned out rather well. You made sure that someone was there to take care of Skylar and honestly she wasn't even supposed to be here this morning so you have nothing to feel guilty or sorry about. Everything is fine." She says softly, so that only Santana and I can hear her.

"Are you sure?" I ask worriedly. Her words really did help to calm the gears moving quickly in my head, but I want to make sure that she is not just telling me all of this to make me feel better.

"Positive. Rach you're an amazing mom. You deserve to be a kid every once in a while." She says as she pulls me into a hug and places a kiss to the top of my head.

I melt into her embrace and take in the comfort that I was not privileged to have until recently. I don't even attempt to let go until she pulls back a few moments later.

"Now what kind of hung over are you? 'Need a lot of food to soak up the liquor' or 'can't eat anything or I'll puke'?" She asks walking back to the stove.

"I'm pretty sure you made both those up, but honestly I have no idea. That food smells sickenly delicious." I say while making a face.

"Feed me." Santana says simply.

Shelby lets out a laugh and tells Santana and I to sit at the table with the five other hung over people. Within a few minutes she places bacon and pancakes in front of Santana and Pancakes and toast in front of me.

"If you can't eat the pancakes then just eat the toast slowly." She instructs and I nod my head before fearfully trying the pancakes.

When the sweetness hits my tongue I chew a few times and then stop to figure out how my body was going to react. No excessive amount of nausea made itself known so I swallowed and again waited for a reaction.

"You ok babe?" Santana asks while putting her hand on my thigh.

"Yeah I think I am." I tell her cautiously as my stomach lets out a loud growl letting me know that the one bite of pancake was not enough. It earns laughs around the table, which both little girls are happy to join into. I roll my eyes and start to take another bite, still being cautious just in case.

Luckily I am able to keep everything down and after I'm finished eating I even feel a little better.

"Ok well as fun as that was, I am taking the girls to the park and you guys are getting this house cleaned. I am not letting my daughter or granddaughter live in this filth." Shelby announces as she unbuckles Skylar from her seat.

The little girl instantly holds her arms out towards Santana and I. "Looks like this little munchkin wants Rae and I to go with them. Have fun guys!" She says slyly as she gets up and grabs Skylar.

As soon as the little girl is in Santana's arms she leans out and towards me.

I start giggling. "Looks like she wants me actually, so have fun with that." I tell her as I grab the baby and go to get her coat on her.

"I can handle the girls alone." Shelby says with a smirk.

"Oh I wouldn't want you to have to worry about both of them. Plus it's my first birthday with Skylar so I want to be with her." I may be trying to get out of cleaning this pigsty but I really do want to spend the day with Skylar also. "Plus, what kind of birthday would it be if I had to clean up?" I joke.

With a laugh Shelby nods her head and starts wrestling with Beth to get her jacket on.

"NO! Not cold!" the toddler yells.

"It's freezing outside Beth, you need a jacket or you can't come to the park with us." Shelby tells her.

"Not cold!" the girl argues still.

"Do you want to go to the park with Sky, Rachel, and I?" She asks.

The little blonde looks to be deciding for a few seconds before finally giving her mom a pensive nod. "Then you had better get this jacket on." Shelby finishes as she holds the jacket out, ready for the girl's arms.

Again Beth thinks about her choices and finally puts the jacket on with a large pout. When her jacket is finally on Shelby leans down to pick the toddler up, but instead the little girl turns around and raises her arms for me to hold her. I give Shelby an apologetic look as I lean down and pick up the toddler in my open arm; leaving me with a little girl in each arm.

"Well since mine wants you, lets see if yours will take me." Shelby says with a laugh even though I can tell that she is at least a little hurt with Beth's actions.

"Bethy don't you want to go to your Mommy?" I ask the little blonde who shakes her head no and hides her face in my neck. With a sigh I look at Skylar and secretly hope that she goes along with this plan. "Princess do you want to go with-" I pause for a moment because if she's my mom, that makes her Skylar's "grandma?" I finish and watch a genuine smile spread across my mom's face.

"You want to walk with me baby?" Shelby asks as she puts her arms out. With only a little reluctance Skylar leans over towards the older brunette, allowing her to grab her from my arms.

Beth peeks out from my neck to look at her mom tickling Sky, eliciting a loud giggle from the infant, and looks up to me with sad eyes.

"What's wrong peanut?" I ask while tickling her stomach. She lets out a small giggle and puts her head back down on my shoulder.

"She didn't get much sleep last night. I had only gotten her to sleep about an hour before you called actually and then she woke up ridiculously early this morning. She's probably tired." Shelby says with a little sigh as she rubs her younger daughter's back.

We call back to everyone telling them that we are heading out and Santana comes running around the corner.

"Babe I think I should come with you just in case you start feeling really sick again." She says but I can tell that is more of a plea.

"I think I can handle a hung over teen Santana. I used to be one after all." Shelby tells her with a smirk. "Besides, this party was your idea, it's only right that you help clean it up."

"But I'm pretty sure that Skylar wants me to come. Don't you Princesa?" She tries while talking in her voice that she reserves for my daughter.

I can't hold back my laugh when Skylar lets out a little giggle and snuggles closer to my mom. "I think we're fine Santì." I say with a chuckle, which earns me a faux glare.

With a pout and a kiss on the cheek for both Skylar and me, Santana heads back into the kitchen to the others.

"I'll be paying for that one later." I say with a laugh as we walk out of the house and down the street towards the park.

"What's the worse she can do?" Shelby says with a laugh.

"She could cut me off," leaves my mouth before I can even process the words.

Shelby instantly stops walking as her face scrunches up in displeasure. Once I realize what I've said I stop in my path and my jaw drops open. Stupid, stupid mouth.

My mouth opens and shuts as I try to find the words that will rectify this situation, but before I can think of anything, the glee coach starts walking again and places her hand on my back to guide me along as she passes me. Is she just going to ignore the comment? I can't be that lucky can I?

The rest of the walk is silent, save for the girls babbling and giggling to each other. When we finally arrive at the park Beth lets us know that she wants to go on the swings and so we make our way over there.

With both girls in the baby swings Shelby and I push our respective daughters, still remaining in the awkward silence that has fallen over us.

After a minute or so of this Shelby finally speaks.

"I know that after everything that happened we never did end up having the sex talk, but-"

"We don't need to either. I don't know what I was thinking when I said that I wanted that. Everything is fine." I say quickly.

"Obviously not. I don't know what Santana told you about that talk, but not once did I tell her that I wanted you guys to wait until your married or any of the other cliché stuff parents say during those talks. I just want you guys to be ready for that step, and I honestly don't think you are yet. I know I haven't been around long, and maybe I haven't earned this right, but I want you to talk to me about stuff like this. I want you to know that I am here for you and I'm willing to help if you need me. But most of all I want to know that you are being respected and honestly I want to know that you're respecting Santana also. You are both young and experienced or not you both deserve to be treated with respect. That being said, drunken quickies in a hallway, and being deprived of the act because of jokes made are not my idea of respect." She concludes, and I realize that she has the wrong idea.

"Mom, the making out in the hallway last night was really just that, making out. We-" this conversation is a lot more awkward than I thought it would be, and that's saying something, "we haven't had sex yet. Even last night with the alcohol rushing through our bodies we were responsible enough to know that there is a limit on how far we should go. And the comment you heard earlier was just a joke honestly. The most she would cut me off from is her cuddles, and she wouldn't do that, because she likes it as much as I do" I say with a giggle.

"Ok, I just wanted to make sure." She says with a relieved sigh.

The rest of the time at the park is spent goofing off. I am still a little to hung over to play tag when Beth asks, so instead I hand Skylar over to Shelby and laugh as I watch the three of them have fun. By the time we're ready to go Shelby and both girls are exhausted.

When we walk into the house we are actually surprised to see that the house is already almost completely cleaned. The only thing left is taking out the trash, which Noah offers to do on their way out.

Most people leave pretty soon after we get back and within the hour Santana and I are laying alone on the couch watching T.V. while Skylar is taking a nap. We talk about the options with the Cheerios and pretty much come up with a plan of attack for tomorrow. I am pretty nervous to be honest. Sue can be really scary, and isn't usually known for her negotiation skills.

I must have fallen asleep at some point because I wake up a little while later and find myself alone on the couch. With a frown I look around the room to see if I can find any traces of Santana, and when I don't I get up to look around the house. I walk into my bedroom and still see no traces of Santana so I keep walking over to the bathroom door, which is partially opened.

I am about to walk all the way into the room when I notice that Santana is lying down in the bathtub with her eyes closed. I admire her beauty for a second, and as I am about to announce my presence I realize that she is not just relaxing. Her lip is caught between her teeth and her breathing is somewhat labored. I push the door open a bit more to find one hand gripping tightly onto the side of the tub while the other is under the water and moving to cause the water to slosh back and forth. It doesn't take me long to recognize what she is doing.

Wetness instantly pulls between my legs and I know that I should walk away or at least let her know that I am here, but I can't force myself to do either. Instead I just stand there and continue to watch as Santana's fingers work their way in and out of her. I can recognize the irony of this happening a few hours after my talk with my mother, but I honestly don't even care.

When the water starts to splash more erratically and I see Santana's hand start to move quicker with less even strokes I can tell that she is close. My eyes snap up to look at my girlfriend's face for a split second to see that her eyes are closed more tightly and her breathing is coming out in heavy pants now. Her entire face is contorted in pleasure and with a small gasp and heavy intake of breath, her back arches forward and her hands slow down as she rides out her orgasm.

I have honestly never seen anything more erotic in my life. I can't help the whimper that leaves my mouth as I watch my girlfriend come down from her orgasm. The noise is enough to alert Santana to my presence and she lets out a little yelp.

"I didn't know you were up!" She says loudly as she reaches for a towel, stands up, and wraps it around herself.

"I uh- I" I try to form words, but nothing seems to be working. I can't think of anything except how turned on I am in this moment. "That was hot." I finally get out, even though that was totally not what I was trying to say.

"You weren't supposed to see that." Santana says embarrassedly.

"Yet I'm so glad I did." I say, my mind still not working completely.

As Santana gets closer to me it's easy to see her tan cheeks are colored bright red.

I cup her cheek before she can get past me, "I didn't mean to embarrass you. I was just wondering where you went and walked in on it. I realize that I probably shouldn't have just watched, but I couldn't help it. You just looked so beautiful and sexy doing that. I couldn't walk away." I tell her.

"It's fine. I just- I didn't expect you to see that." She says in a low voice. "I was just laying with you after you fell asleep and starting think about everything that happened last night and started remembering our numerous make out sessions and it started to work me up. I figured that you wouldn't wake up so I'd be in the clear." She explains as her cheeks turn an even brighter shade of red.

"Babe it's fine, you definitely do not have to explain yourself to me. It was incredibly hot and I can see why our activities from last night would get you… excited." I say with a giggle. "Now I kind of," it's my turn to blush as my cheeks start to burn hot, "need a cold shower after watching that though."

The Latina's blush instantly disappears as her eyes darken with lust. Before I even know what is going on she pins me to the wall just inside the bathroom and her lips are attached to mine. Without delay or resistance, both our mouths open and our tongues meet; we fight for dominance before I finally give in and give Santana complete control.

This is doing nothing to stem my arousal.

"I can think of another way for you to cool off." Santana says as she pulls away from my lips momentarily before attaching them to my collarbone, my sweet spot that she found a while ago.

As the moan leaves my body I realize just how close I already am. Watching my girlfriend come undone was enough to put me on the edge, all I needed was a push; a push that almost instantly came in the form of Santana's naked thigh. She pushes her thigh into my center and without a second though I start to grind down onto it. I let out a string of moans as I feel the coil in the pit of my stomach start to wind tighter and tighter. When Santana grabs a hold of my hip with one hand and helps glide me over her thigh while slipping her other hand under my shirt and bra, I feel myself finally fall as my walls clamp at nothing.

My back arches off of the wall and closer into Santana's chest as I let out a loud moan and an even louder "Santana". She slows my hips to help me ride out the orgasm. When I finally come down from my high my head falls against her shoulder and I feel her let out a little giggle.

"I should have known that you would be loud." She jokes and I can't do anything but roll my eyes.

When we hear Skylar let out a cry, I realize that I probably just woke her up accidentally.

"At least she let us actually finish this time." Santana says with a giggle. "Why don't you go get her while I get changed and then when I'm finished you can jump in the shower while I order food for us."

I quickly agree to those terms and stand up and place a quick kiss to Santana's lips and make my way down the hall to Sky's room.

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I was actually completely flabbergasted by what had happened. I was mortified when I realized that Rachel watched me get myself off. Don't get me wrong, Santana Lopez is a BAMF but it's still a little embarrassing when your girlfriend walks in on that. But what was shocking was that instead of being freaked out by it, like I thought she would be, she was completely turned on by it!

The best part of all of it was that I was actually finally able to make her cum! Every other time Skylar or someone else has to interrupt right when she is on the edge and we are both left frustrated.

After that our night was decidedly less exciting. We spent the entire time just snuggling up as a family and watching Disney movies.

Now however we are making our way into school. Even as we walk through the parking lot every one is stopping to turn and look at Rachel. Never in anyone's wildest dreams would they have thought that she would be entering the school in a Cheerio's uniform and a high ponytail. It is honestly one of the hottest things I've ever seen, next to what happened in the bathroom yesterday obviously.

"Everyone is staring." Rae says in a small timid voice.

"It's because you look hot. Don't worry." I tell her while wrapping my arm tighter around her and pulling her closer to me.

We make our way straight to Coach's office and completely disregard everything Becky tells us to do. I hold the door opened for Rachel and she walks past me into the office. I can instantly see the smile that Sue is trying to hold back.

"Excellent choice Streisand." Sue says. "You know the rules and if not I'm confident that Boobs McGee can fill you in." She finishes with a flick of the wrist, effectively dismissing us.

"Not quite." Rachel says in a stern voice, I can tell it's all a façade though and that she is terrified. "I have a change of regular clothes just in case." She tells Sue. I know that Sue sees it for what it is: a threat.

"What do you want?" Sue asks as if this is some serious negotiation rather than one for the Cheerios, although in this place I suppose this is as big as it gets.

"I can't commit to all the hours you have your squad practice. I can't leave Skylar for that long, and honestly I can't ask Barb to watch her for that long seeing as her sister is still in the hospital." Rachel lays out her conditions.

"I am willing to watch Sky while you practice seeing as it is mostly Santana's job to whip the girls in shape." Sue offers.

"Ok well that solves half of the problem, but I still don't want to be away from her for that many hours four days a week, especially since I will still have glee the other two." Rachel explains.

"Couldn't she just come to half of the practices?" I offer.

"I don't think even she is good enough to learn full dances with only two days a week practices."

"Couldn't you just put her in as a smaller role like vocals with a few throws here and there?" I ask. Honestly I'm not sure why Sue is doing this, I really don't think that it has too much to do with needing Rachel on the team.

"I suppose that could work. I need her for one big stunt but I guess she could just do simple choreography on the ground besides that." Sue reasons.

"What stunt?" I ask. We have plenty of fliers on the squad already and if we really needed another one we could bring Quinn in, why do they need Rachel?

"It's a new one I've been working on. Rachel is the perfect size for it and with her dance and gymnastics training she's perfect for the role." Sue says simply.

"Is it dangerous?" I ask.

"Not more than the others."

"Can I come two times a week?" Rachel intervenes.

"Three." Sue counters.

"Two," Rachel reiterates.

"Fine. We done here?" Sue asks.

"Not quite. Last contingency and it's make or break." Rachel says standing up from her chair. I'm not sure if she is doing it to make her decision seem more final or so she can run if Coach attacks her.

"What is it?" Sue asks skeptically.

"Quinn gets to rejoin." Rachel states evenly.

"No." the older woman answers immediately.

"Why not? Why do you hate the idea of her being on the squad so much?" I ask, honestly curious.

"Q can't take the pressure. She finally got her head on straight again, I'm not going to allow her back on the squad just for her to have another power trip again." Sue answers.

"What if we can promise that it won't happen?" Rachel asks.

I have no idea what is going through her mind, but I don't know how she can promise that for the both of us. Coach is probably right; if Quinn were to come back on the Cheerios she may get back into the mind set that she was in before Sophomore year.

"You can't promise that." Sue answers.

"Sure I can. I will talk to her about it and let her know that if she looks like she is going down that line again she will promptly be kicked off the squad. Coach I think she honestly misses cheering, not just the power." Rachel states passionately.

Sue literally doesn't say anything for five minutes. She just sits in her chair and thinks about her options. Finally after what felt like forever she says, "You have to deal with her if she gets out of line. If I am forced to deal with it, it will be both of your heads on a stake."

"Deal." Rachel says while offering up her hand for Sue to shake.

Sue takes the offered hand, "That right there is why I respect you Berry. You are one of a select few people in this place that will stand up to me." The coach says with the tiniest hint of a smile.

Rachel beams at the woman before picking up her backpack, grabbing my hand, and heading out the door.

"We should find Quinn and let her know!" Rachel says excitedly.

I thought this idea was really good when she first brought it up to me, but now that I heard what Sue had to say about it all I am starting to second-guess it all.

"Babe maybe Sue was right. Maybe Quinn can't handle the power."

"We talked about this. It would be good for her Santì. She is already feeling incredibly vulnerable about everything right now. She needs the boost to remind her that she isn't useless. She will never come out if she doesn't get something right." She tells me with passion in her voice.

I love that after everything that Quinn put Rachel though that she is still able to forgive her and be so vehement about making sure that the girl is ok.

"Ok you're right." I tell her and she beams back at me and rushes off to find Quinn, leaving me to chase after her.

Once we finally find her Rachel just grabs her arm and leads her into the nearest empty classroom without even saying 'hi' to her. Brittany watches it all happen with a confused look on her face before finally just grabbing my pinkie and following after them.

"What the hell Rach?" Quinn asks as she pulls her arm out of the smaller girls grip.

"I'm sorry but I was so excited and I needed to talk to you!" Rachel says excitedly as she bounces on the balls of her feet.

"What's going on?" Quinn asks curiously.

"You get to join the Cheerios again!" Rachel all but screams.

"What?" Quinn asks disbelievingly as her chin hits the floor.

I have to put everything I have into not laughing at her face. Brittany however does not have the same reservation as she starts giggling next to me.

"Yeah! I convinced Sue to let you rejoin!" Rachel says, still at the same level of excitement.

"Are you serious?" Quinn ask eagerly.

"Yep!"

"Oh my god! Thank you!" Quinn squeals as she surges forward and wraps Rachel in a tight hug. "This is amazing!"

Brittany lets out a squeal beside me, obviously excited that her girlfriend will be on the Cheerios again. I have to be honest, having the Unholy Trinity back in the Cheerios does sound awesome, but as much as I hate to put a damper on their excitement I know that Rachel won't tell Quinn the contingency and I know that I have to. Quinn needs to be aware of the conditions of her return.

"Q, it's not exactly that easy." I start off slowly.

The smile instantly leaves the blondes face and she pulls away from Rachel.

"Should have fucking known there would be catch with you." She spits defensively.

I let out a low growl, "Watch it Fabray, you're treading on thin ice." I warn and she instantly loses the glare she is aiming towards my girlfriend.

"What is the catch?" She asks dejectedly.

"You can't get power hungry. You are on the squad, but I am in charge. You are not the HBIC you used to be Q. If any of us sees you heading down that path again you're off the squad. If Coach sees it happening, we're all dead. You need to control yourself." I warn her.

She looks down at her hands and gives a solemn nod. "Ok. I understand." She says sadly.

"I never meant for any of that to happen you know." She says without looking up. "It was just so easy to show my dad that I wasn't a complete screw up when I was running the school with an iron fist. I realize how ridiculous I got and I won't let it happen again. Plus, back then I was trying to convince myself that I wasn't something that I obviously was. That's all changed now. I have changed now. I would never want to go back to that again." She says honestly.

"Well then good. The Unholy Trinity is back!" I say getting excited about the prospect.

"Hey!" Rachel whines as a pout fixes itself on her face.

"Uh ok, Faberrittana has arrived?" I ask waiting for her approval, when a smile forms on her face I know I've got it.

"Faberrittana has arrived!" I say again with a huge smile on my face.

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><p><strong>Hope you liked this guys.. again not my finest work and I wasn't really too happy with it, but i figured you guys would at least want something :**

**And I know a lot of you didn't want Rachel to be a Cheerio but this felt like the right path :/ that is part of the reason this chapter alluded me for so long, your votes were so close and I couldn't make up my mind **

**Let me know what you guys think **

**So another reason this chapter took so long is because I have been fighting down an idea that has been brewing in my mind for a little while now.. would anyone be interested in reading another story of mine? This one would be my first priority but I cant seem to get this other idea out of my head**

**Sorry for the long AN but I also wanted to give you guys a heads up that I have a Tumblr now (in addition to my Twitter) and you guys can ask questions on there :) I may even be inclined to answer questions about this fic ;) lol the address to it is on my profile!**

**Please leave a review!**


	35. Chapter 35

**I know, I know! I suck! To be fair though the last three weeks for me have been eventful, but I know I still suck. I hated to do that but until recently I literally had no time to write :( I will try my damnedest to not let that long of a gap go again. In fact I just got an iPad so I should be able to write more often (even though my lovely girlfriend believes that this is never going to happen -_-... so here's hoping she's wrong! lol)**

**So I know that some of you may be annoyed that after such a long wait that this chapter ended up being so short but this chapter is VERY different than any other chapter. My beta had made a comment after the last chapter suggesting I show how the school reacts to Quinn being back on the Cheerios so I decided that this chapter would be in Quinn's POV so you guys can see how this along with a few other parts :) hope you like it and that i was able to do Quinn justice!**

**I want to say a HUGE thanks to everyone who has favorited, alerted, and reviewed this story! And for sticking with me even though I suck lol.. this story hit 1000 reviews and I absolutely love it! thank you so much!**

**Thanks to my amazing Beta for helping with this and for giving me the idea for it! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing :( **

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 35<strong>_

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><p><strong>Quinn's POV <strong>

I seriously cannot believe that the girl that I spent years torturing had managed to get me back on the Cheerios. I've spent so much time- so much it's actually a little bit embarrassing- begging Coach to let me back on the squad and she always turned me down. Not just turned me down actually, it was always more like pure rejection. I get that I screwed up by getting pregnant, but honestly I'm not the first girl to ever get pregnant in high school. I never understood how I could go from being Sue's protégé to her fallen angel so quickly.

All of this just makes her affinity for Rachel so much more confusing. How does Rachel get her to do anything she wants? Does Rachel have something on her that I don't know about? Because really as quickly as I went from protégé to disgrace, Rachel Berry went from enemy to ally; that just doesn't happen.

Regardless of the thoughts going through my head concerning Rachel, I still am quick to wrap her in a hug to say thanks for getting me what I have wanted but haven't been able to obtain. The smile on my face is literally hurting my cheeks and it only gets bigger when I hear Brittany's squeal of happiness.

"Q, it's not exactly that easy." Santana says after a few moments.

The smile immediately turns into a scowl as I pull away from the short brunette and fold into myself slightly. As my defenses rise I level Rachel with a withering glare.

"Should have fucking known there would be catch with you." I snap defensively. Nothing is ever that easy, especially in my life. It's like hey you want to be popular and be on the top of the social pyramid; ok that's great, instead lets get you pregnant. Then there's the one that took the cake in my mind. All you want to do is find love and be happy? I have a great idea; lets make you fall for a tall, thin, gorgeous _girl_ that your parents would never approve of. I seriously think that the universe has a sick sense of humor when it comes to deciding my fate.

I hear a low growl come from Santana's direction, "Watch it Fabray, you're treading on thin ice." The warning is enough to stop my glaring and realize that once again, Rachel will always win the heart of my best friend. I can never get anything easily, while Rachel gets everything.

"What is the catch?" I ask dejectedly.

"You can't get power hungry. You are on the squad, but I am in charge. You are not the HBIC you used to be Q. If any of us sees you heading down that path again you're off the squad. If Coach sees it happening, we're all dead. You need to control yourself." Santana warns, in a voice that actually brings tears to my eyes. I put all of my energy towards keeping the tears from falling.

After I'm sure that I am not actually going to cry I process the words Santana spoke rather than just the care behind them. I _do not_ get power hungry! I was just filling the role given to me!

I mean sure I probably didn't have to take it as far as I did. But Coach told me to keep the student population in line. Though maybe throwing frozen drinks in kids faces to do so wasn't really the best way of doing so. Especially since the slushies ended up being less about punishment and more about assertion of power. But isn't that how you get sheep to fall in line? You yell and scare them straight; that's what I was always taught. My father always told me that if people fear the law enough than they won't break it.

My father. Do I honestly want to follow in his footsteps? Do I want to be explaining myself with his teachings? Do arguments using said teachings actually mean anything at all?

That's when I realize. Everything that I have done in the past were things that made Russell proud. Russell, a bigot and an ignorant man, who was only happy when everyone else around him was miserable, including my mother and I. The same man who threw me out on the street for failing to uphold _his _morals and _his _image. Who would want to be like him? Who would even listen to a thing he said?

I only picked on students who I felt were not worth my time; peers who I deemed 'beneath me' for whatever reason I could come up with. Just look at Rachel for god sakes; she is amazing in every aspect and just moments ago I was thinking that she was only capable of gaining Sylvester's trust and loyalty out of blackmail. In this moment I realize that I was truly beneath everyone else in this god-forsaken school. _I_ am the one who deserved all the slushies and the bullying that I have made most of the school endure.

It's not until this moment that I realize just how screwed up I have become. How scrambled my brain has become to see the world with a completely upside-down perspective. My bad 'fate' has only come from bad decisions. My life is the way it is because I have made it this way.

Even now, when I think that I am getting my life back on track, I still think in a purely selfish way. Rachel has been nothing but helpful since- well pretty much since we first met and still I think that she is out to get me.

I look around at the two girls that I can honestly say I see as my best friends and see the worry and sincerity in their eyes. They aren't attacking me and they certainly aren't out to get me. They just want to see me happy. They both must have gone out on a pretty flimsy limb in order to get Sue to agree to this arrangement.

I am about to tell them that I'm not going to join when I look over and lock eyes with Brittany. She has just as much worry in them as the others but hers are also filled with feelings that I can't put my finger on. I can tell that she wants me to be on the squad with her again. If that's what she wants, then I am going to have to reign in my instincts and make sure that I don't do anything stupid. I can do this. I will do this for Brittany.

I look down at my hands and give a sad nod. "Ok. I understand. I never meant for any of that to happen you know." I say without looking up. "It was just so easy to show my dad that I wasn't a complete screw up when I was running the school with an iron fist. I realize how ridiculous I got and I won't let it happen again. Plus, back then I was trying to convince myself that I wasn't something that I obviously was. That's all changed now. I have changed now. I would never want to go back to that again." I tell them honestly.

"Well then good. The Unholy Trinity is back!" Santana says excitedly.

"Hey!" Rachel whines as a pout fixes itself on her face.

"Uh ok, Faberrittana has arrived?" Santana asks waiting for her girlfriend's approval, I bite back a giggle at how whipped my friend is.

"Faberrittana has arrived!" Santana says again with a huge smile on her face.

I quickly match her smile as Rachel holds out the uniform box. I take the box from her with a grateful smile which turns into a relieved smile when I don't feel the same spark of power I felt when I first received a similar box freshman year.

We all decided to meet outside school the next morning so the four of us can walk into the school together, all in matching, perfectly pressed Cheerios uniforms.

The moment we step through the double doors all eyes turn towards us, most of which are directed towards me. Again I am not filled with the same feelings I was last time I walked into this school wearing this uniform. Instead of the supremacy it used to give me, I am actually filled with dread. Every person staring at me is look at me with a differing level of fear and apprehension. They are worried that I am going to turn into the same person I used to be; the cold hearted, bitchy dictator. My stomach actually drops when I realize that this is probably about the last thing anyone in the school wanted to happen.

Santana bumps my shoulder to get my attention and when I look at her she gives me an encouraging nod and a wink as she steps a half step ahead, bringing Rachel up with a arm wrapped tightly and protectively around her waist and leaving Brittany and I to flank them. It is reminiscent of how we used to walk down the halls when I was still Head Cheerio only changed in ways that seem more natural oddly enough.

I cannot shake the nerves and sadness I feel from seeing the student body's reaction to my new attire and try my hardest to keep my head held high, the way every Cheerio is expected to walk around the school. My mission is made much easier when I feel Brittany grab a hold of my hand and dangle the linked hands between us just behind the two brunettes. I look over and send her a quick and thankful smile; she always knows exactly how to help.

Everything is going well enough until lunch when the pressure just becomes too much. Everyone has been looking at me with the same fear in their eyes that I used to revel in, but now I hate it and I just need to get away from it. Brittany being the ever-perceptive girlfriend that she is immediately suggests that instead of going to the cafeteria today, we spend the period in the auditorium to relax and snuggle. I am quick to agree and send off a text to Santana to let her know where we are heading and not to wait for us.

When we get into the auditorium I see that up on the stage someone has set up a little picnic complete with a wicker basket, blanket, and candle.

"Well it looks like we can't stay in here." I say sadly. I was really looking forward to just relaxing and having some alone time with Britt.

"Don't be silly Quinnie, that's for us." The taller blonde says with a broad smile. "I figured that you would be having a hard time so I decided to put together a picnic for us." She explains once she sees my confused look, as she pulls me by the hand up to the stage.

"Babe this is amazing!" I tell her with a fond and excited smile. Truth be told I had always wanted someone to do something like this for me, but Finn was always too much of a jackass to recognize that and after getting pregnant I never let Puck within two feet of me.

Brittany is obviously pleased that I liked her surprise as her smile grows impossibly bigger, which only causes me to smile wider as well. We spend the first ten minutes of the lunch period feeding each other and laughing at each other when either of us missed the others mouth and landed the food on a chin instead. After the food is gone we both set about picking it all up and placing it in the basket which has 'Property of Rachel Barbra Berry' written on the inside lid. I laugh at the ridiculousness that is Berry before closing the basket and setting it aside. When we are both lying down Britt pulls me in so my head is on her shoulder and we both hold onto each other as tightly as possible.

"Quinnie I know you're sad with the way everyone is acting towards you now that you have the cheer uniform on again, but are you going to be ok? I don't like seeing you sad." Brittany says and even though I can't see her face I can tell by her voice that she is pouting.

"Yeah B, I'm going to be fine. It's just a shock to the system to see how much of an impact my actions have had. I'm going to be ok, I just need to figure out a way to show the kids here that I'm not going to hurt them." I say with a sad shrug. The concept was easier than the execution.

"We'll figure something out babe." The taller blonde says cheerfully.

I push myself off of her shoulder to look her in the eyes. "How do you know?" I ask fearfully.

"Because I can see that you've changed and so can Rachie and Sanny. If the person you used to torture more than anyone else and the girl that you told Sue got a boob job can forgive you then everyone else can as well." I know that she is only trying to help, but listing out some off my failures only proves to make me feel worse. I force that feeling from my face though because the last thing I need is to upset Brittany.

"You're right. I'll be fine, just a bit sad right now. Everything will get better." I tell her looking down at her.

The care I see in her eyes fuels me as I lean down and connect our lips in a passionate kiss. She instantly reciprocates the kiss and we quickly get lost in the feeling of each other. When her tongue swipes across the seam if my lips I grant her access with no hesitance and moan into her mouth.

The mood and moment are completely ruined when the door in the back of the auditorium slams shut. I instantly leap off of Brittany and end up falling backwards in my effort to sit, slamming my head into the floor.

"Damn it!" I scream as my hand flies to the spot where my head connected with the ground. Britt is quick to check to make sure I am ok. Momentarily forcing both of our attention to the newest entrant to the room.

"So do either of you want to explain to me what was just happening? Or would you prefer I just make my own story up? Because that could be fun too." I hear Mercedes' smug voice flow through the auditorium.

_Shit!_

"I was totally choking on a gum ball and Quinnie saved my life!" Brittany tells her.

_What? _No way would anyone believe that! Well ok, maybe Finn would, but he doesn't count. I'm totally about to be thrown out of the closet by the girl who took me in when I had no one else.

"Ohh, well that makes total sense! So where's the gum ball?" The diva says looking around feigning innocence.

"What do you want Mercedes?" I ask, trying my best to sound irritated rather than terrified.

"Oh no Miss Prom Queen, you don't get to act like the bitch in this situation, I have you by the balls and you know it." The girl says with the same smugness as before.

"What do you want?" I ask this time allowing my fear to show through, no sense in acting like I'm not when we all now that I am.

"I want to be the god who gets to spread this juicy gossip around this hell hole. I'd be worshipped for adding some color to this place. I mean Gayberry and Satan coming out at the beginning of the year was fun, but when everyone finds out that the Christ loving, ex-celibacy club president, who used to slushy Rachel just for having two dads, is riding the rainbow unicorn too… well I'll be a legend for spilling that dirt." She says with a sardonic laugh.

Tears instantly fill my eyes as I think about being outed to everyone in school. What's worse is that it's not just school I need to worry about. My mom finding out has been the most terrifying thing about this entire situation from the beginning, and if she finds out through the gossip trail that runs through this damn, hick town it will only make the problem worse.

I look over to where Mercedes has perched herself in one of the chairs at the directors table and I decide to use the last card in my hand. "You know if someone would have told me two years ago that the one girl who was there for me when no one else was, a girl that I saw as my best friend through everything, would be the one to turn on me and out me I would have punched them in the face. Still here we are and you are doing just that. What happened to that friendship 'Cedes?" I ask her with as much emotion as possible. I hate being this vulnerable, but I can't think of anything else; it's obvious that my threats are doing nothing.

"Our friendship kind of crashed and burned when you chose the Trouble Tones over New Directions." Mercedes spits out as she leans forward in the chair. "Did_ you _think about our friendship when you when and joined the opposing team?" She asks.

"There was no opposition Mercedes! New Directions is over," I yell.

With a chuckle she stands up from the table and walks towards the back of the auditorium. "And so is the last shred of your dignity and reputation." She calls over her shoulder as she walks out.

I collapse into Brittany's arms as soon as she's close enough to do so. I can't stop the sob that leaves my throat as I think of what just happened; what's about to happen.

We stay like that for about ten minutes before Britt pushes my shoulders back and forces me to look her in the eyes.

"We need to go to your house and have a conversation with your mom before she finds out elsewhere. I know it's super scary but it needs to be done. Now." She tells me as she looks me dead in the eyes.

The seriousness on her face brings all new emotions to my face, emotions I try my damnedest to keep down. My bubbly, fun loving girlfriend is currently looking at me with so much seriousness and fear in her eyes that she barely looks like herself; her normally bright blue eyes look dimmed and darkened somehow.

I just nod my response as we get off the ground and make our way to the parking lot. Before she is even able to pull out of the spot my phone lights up, alerting me to a call from Santana.

"What the hell is going on! I just got a text from three Cheerios letting me know that the entire school knows you're gay!" She yells as soon as the phone is answered.

"Mercedes found Brittany and I in the auditorium making out. She followed through with her threat I guess." I sob out. I honestly was still holding onto the last sliver of hope that Mercedes would turn back into the girl I knew two years ago. That hope is now gone. Mercedes has turned into the kind of girl who has been repressing her for so long. I'm not even sure what she thinks is going to happen with this new news; it's not going to have any baring on the Trouble Tones.

"Alright where are you?" Santana asks in a level voice. I can tell that she is pissed but trying to control herself for my sake.

"On my way home, I need to deal with my mother before someone else does." I say sadly.

"Ok. Q hang in there and call me or Rachel if you need anything," She says before hesitating and adding, "or somewhere to stay. Rae and I will handle things as much as possible on this end." With that we say our goodbyes and hang up.

I sit outside my house for a full minute before finally getting out of the car. When I hear Brittany's door open as well I turn to look at her confused.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"I'm not letting you do this on your own Quinn. Maybe if you had had time to prepare but you haven't, this is all just happening. You need support, just let me do this for you." She tells me as she grabs a hold of my hand.

I look down at the linked hands and take a deep breath before linking our fingers together and heading towards the house. As soon as we walk in my mom comes down the stairs looking at us with confusion.

"What are you doing home? School should still be in session for a few hours still." She tells me as she pulls me into a hug.

The simple gesture brings tears to my eyes. A hug seems like something that should be readily available in a household, but in the old Fabray house they were few and far between. Regular hugs are actually a relatively new development, only since Russell left have my mother and I been showing affection. The thought that something that is still so new and so welcomed ending forces the tears to spring loose and make their way down my face. I try to bite back the sob to no avail as I hold tightly to my mom soaking up every ounce of love I can before I break the news and once again break my family.

"Hey now, sweetie what's wrong?" She asks as she holds me even closer and runs her hand up and down my back for comfort.

"Mom, I need to tell you something." I tell her before burying my head in her neck and taking in the last bit of comfort before pulling away and walking towards the living room, the same room that I once told her and my father that I was pregnant in.

"Quinnie your scaring me, what's wrong?" the oldest blonde asks again as she takes the seat next to me and grabs my hands in hers.

I look over to my girlfriend for support and only turn back to my mother after I see Brittany send me a reassuring smile and a small nod.

"Mom I'm…I'm" I can't seem to get the last word out. It's like the word has been deleted from my vocabulary. My mouth opens and shuts several times as I try again to say the word that terrifies me to no end.

I decide to try a different technique. "Brittany and I… we're… well, we're…"

Nope that's not working either. I look to the dancer again and she moves to kneel next to me and puts a reassuring hand on my upper arm.

"Quinnie, what's happened? What's going on?" My mom asks in a worried tone.

I take one more deep breath before just shutting my eyes and allowing myself to say one of the hardest things I've ever had to say to my mom.

"I'm gay. Brittany and I… we're dating." I tell her without opening my eyes again.

Silence. That is all that follows my declaration. It's deafening and heavy, so heavy that I have trouble opening my eyes again. When I finally do open them I see my mom just staring at where Britt's hand is still laying on my arm.

I swallow the huge lump in my throat. This doesn't seem to be going well.

"Mom?" I ask and get no response. Instead she continues to stare.

"Gay?" She asks in a tone that I can't quite decipher.

"Yes." I answer simply.

"Quinn, you can't be serious. You think your gay?" She asks with a small, sarcastic chuckle.

With one more swallow, I look down at my hands, which have fallen from my mother's grip, and curtly nod. I stand from the couch and motion for Brittany to follow me. Hopefully my mom won't set the timer like my father did; though I think this is bigger than my pregnancy was so she may still set it.

Brittany doesn't say anything as we enter my room; she just pulls me into a long tight hug. I can't even find the tears to cry, which is strange since I couldn't stop crying before. Maybe I'm still in shock, I knew that she would probably act like this, but still I wasn't ready for it. I thought I had more time.

After a few moments I pull away from Brittany and walk towards the closet and throw two large duffle bags from the shelf and onto the bed. Brittany gets the hint with no words and moves over to start packing some of the things that are essential.

Just as I turn towards my closet again to get some of my clothes, my bedroom door opens and my mom walks in.

"Where are you going?" She asks, looking around to the stuff being packed.

"I don't know yet, I have places to go though." I tell her, looking down at the floor.

"Why are you going?" She asks confused.

"You obviously aren't comfortable with me here." I say while turning back to the closet to start packing again.

"That's not true! I was just processing, but that doesn't mean that I don't want you here." She tells me while stepping closer to me.

"Mom, your tone told a completely different story. It's fine, I get it ok?" I say as one tears makes it's way down my cheek.

"No! You don't, I just… this is never something I pictured happening so it took me by surprise. It doesn't make me love you any less though. Quinnie, _nothing _can make me love you any less. If you're happy with Brittany then I'm happy. I just needed to process. I probably could have handled it a bit better at first, and I'm sorry but I'm kind of battling my need for you to be happy with the rules and opinions your father taught me. And I will get past that so don't worry about that ok?" She tells me passionately. "I just want to be there for you, and I would never kick you out again. Never Quinnie ok?" I finally allow the next batch of tears fall as I nod.

"Can we hug now?" My mom asks.

With another nod I throw myself into my moms waiting and loving arms. After a few moments of hugging I feel one of my moms arms leave my back and a seconds later Brittany is wrapped up in the hug as well.

Maybe everything will work out after all.

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><p><strong>So I hope you liked it :) let me know what you guys think! I hope I was able to give you Quinn's POV without disappointing you guys.. It was substantially harder than I thought it would be lol<strong>

**If anyone knows anything about Cheerleading stunts can you let me know... I kind of need help lol.. Either pm me or let me know in a review please :) Thanks!**

**I know some of you may hate me for the long wait but please review! I love reading what you guys think!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Wow.. yea.. soooooo it's been a month.. I am SOOOO sorry about that.. I really don't have any excuse other than the fact that I hit a wall and have been preoccupied with work and my amazing girlfriend, which I'm not really too sorry about :P lol.. either way I will try my best to start to get my updates back on track (I know I keep saying that but I will seriously start stepping up my game).. I actually already have about 2000 words of the next chapter (or I think its the next chapter) written.. **

**This chapter actually wasn't even going to be a thing until someone asked me to write a Cheerios practice in there and I also wanted to finally give you guys something you've been asking for for a while :P.. In case you don't pick up on it though I decided to skip Christmas and New Years.. I know just about everyone asked for it but I am getting too anxious with all of this fluff lol.. I need to get back to the drama again :P lol.. hope no one minds too much :/**

**I want to say a HUGE thanks to everyone who has continued to stick with this even though i royally suck lately.. You guys are all seriously amazing and I cant explain how much every favorite, alert, and especially review means to me.. **

**As always a big thanks goes out to my beta GE0309 for looking over this chapter and making it readable :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own glee! **

**Sorry for the long ass AN! On to the chapter!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 36 <strong>_

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

If I'm being honest, the Cheerios practices are ridiculously hard and exhausting, but they really are a lot of fun. I always imagined the girls talking bad behind each other's backs while 'accidentally' hitting each other during jumps and stuff, but the girls actually all get along for the most part. Sure there are a few petty comments here or there and some obvious resentment towards Santana for receiving the captaincy over them but it's obvious that they still respect her and can even understand Sue's decision to an extent.

I never realized that it's mostly the captain's job to run practices rather than Coach. That may not always be the case though because Coach Sue has babysitting duty during the practices that I attend. And let me tell you, watching a baby turn the almighty Sue Sylvester, who is her serious, intimidating, terrifying self one minute, into a big pile of mush with a well timed dimpled smile is highly entertaining.

So yeah, practice is usually pretty fun. I really like getting the opportunity to actually apply my years of gymnastics training since it pretty much became useless when I decided to focus solely on Broadway. I actually think that I impressed everyone at practice when I showed up on the first day and preformed the whole routine basically perfect and I even threw in a standing back layout back tuck at the end just for fun. The look in Santana's eyes instantly made me want to show her _all _the gym moves I had mastered before quitting the sport, especially how flexible it made me.

Back to the point though, the only thing that I am not so keen on when it comes to practices is when it comes down to what I was actually brought onto the team for. The stunts. Turns out, I'm not such a fan of being tossed into the air like a rag doll like it's no big deal. I can barely do what I'm supposed to be doing when I'm being tossed out of pure fear of hitting the ground, even with Santana and Quinn as my bases and Brittany as my back spotter. I know that they would never drop me, and yet it never fails to scare the shit out of me every time I'm thrown in the air.

Which is why I am currently sitting in the stands with the rest of the Cheerios, with Skylar on my lap, staring at Coach Sylvester like she has lost her mind. I think she just might have this time.

"Ok so it's time to start training you pathetic group of losers for the infamous stunt that Berry was actually brought on for. Streisand, Tits McGee, Q, Simmons, and Matthews will all be fliers. Parker..."

"Excuse me, but how are me and Q supposed to spot Rae when we are flying too?" Santana speaks up as she rises to her feet.

"Sit down S, you're not spotting her for this one. Get over it." Sue says nonchalantly. Seriously is she crazy?

"The hell I'll sit down! I'm not letting Rachel be thrown into the air by any of these degenerates. It's me or nobody." Santana says boldly.

"I get that you're scared for your precious girlfriend Tits but if you don't back down you'll be running laps from now until next week," Sue warns in a serious tone, "all the while watching your girlfriend being tossed into the air by B and Parker." The coach adds as an afterthought.

When I see that Santana is about to continue to argue I reach up and put my hand on her arm. The last thing I need to happen is for her to test Sue's threat.

"It's fine Santì, Britt is still one of my bases. Everything will be fine." I tell her and watch as she relaxes the tiniest bit. I know that she still doesn't like it but luckily she finally relents and sits back down next to me, albeit much closer than before.

"Good now that that little temper tantrum is over," Coach starts with a unpleased look aimed towards the Latina, "Hardison you'll be working the backstop of Streisand's stunt…" I kind of zoned out for the rest of the stunt pairings. I did manage to catch that San's stunt would include three of the more experienced bases. I am really starting to get worried about this whole thing.

"Everyone get out the hell out of the stands and warming up the on field now!" Sue screams, causing every Cheerio to jump up and scramble to the field, save for San and me who are situating Sky.

We don't even notice Sue walking towards us until Skylar lets out a string of giggles and reaches towards the cheer coach who easily takes the little girl from my arms and I could see the makings of a smile on her face because of Sky. It never fails to amaze me.

Once Sue sees me watching her interactions with Sky she schools her facial expressions and turns to address Santana, patented Sue Sylvester scowl firmly in place. "I am going to say this once, and only once. You are my captain, which means that you obey me without question. I have given you a lot of leniency in the past Lopez, but I _will not_ allow you to back talk and question me, _especially_ not in front of my squad. You do it again and you will be lucky to keep your uniform let alone the captaincy." The cheer coach says in a frighteningly threatening and cool tone. "Now get out on that field and remind me why I made you captain in the first place!" She finishes with a little more fire.

Santana looks down at her shoes as she nods her head and jogs down to the field to lead the team in stretching. I look at Sue and open my mouth to stand up for my girlfriend, but a quick raise of a hand and a hard point quickly shuts me up and I head down to the field. I understand that I am being dismissed and quickly make my way to join the others.

If I thought she was crazy for having anyone other than Santana and Quinn spot me at first, now I am certain that she is certifiably insane. I have nearly fallen close to twenty times in the last half hour and I'm now completely terrified to go near any of these girls. The stunt that Sue came up with is nuts!

"AGAIN!" Sue yells from the bleachers, which is quickly followed by a screech of pleasure from my daughter; apparently she likes hearing her mother getting screamed at.

"I can't do this!" I yell back. Normally I am on my best behavior and show Coach as much respect as possible, but I honestly don't think this is possible.

"Shut your trap and just get it done Streisand!"

I let out a huff as I walk back over to my stunt partners. The two bases give me a sympathetic smile while Brittany pulls me into a tight hug.

"You'll get this Rachie. It's hard I know and super duper scary, but you've got this." She whispers in my ear. I let out a sigh at her words and nod my assent. It's not like I have much choice in the matter.

I hear Santana and Quinn start counting out their stunts and then hear them count out their leg lifts. As soon as their counting is finished I let out a deep breath and count out my stunt as well. As soon as I hit the last number I am lifted off the ground, raised into the air, all the while being turned full circle until I face forward again. Sadly enough, that's the easy part. I stretch my arms out to the side and feel Santì and Quinn grab one each as they continue to count out the stunt. With another deep breath I feel myself being jolted backwards as I do a back flip while using Santana and Quinn's arms for guidance. When I land back into my bases hands I let out a sigh of relief that is really short lived as I feel by bases move me forward for the next part.

As soon as I am lowered closer to the ground I'm thrown back up and released into a back flip towards Santana and Quinn, who are in stunts behind me with their knees raised waiting for me. I scream the entire time and only stop when I am firmly standing on the girls' legs. I let out a whimper when I mistakenly look down to see exactly how high up I am right now. I feel Santana squeeze my thigh comfortingly which helps to calm me a little bit. This is actually the farthest we've gotten into this stunt thus far; usually I don't even make it to Quinn and Santana during this part because I am thrown/flipped at the wrong angle and I end up having people scramble to catch me.

"Berry you can't scream the entire time! This is a nationally ranked cheer squad! Have some semblance of control!" Sue yells from her perch.

"You say that after being thrown around like a rag doll!" I scream back, not even caring how rude I'm being. She is acting like this is easy or something!

"Watch yourself Streisand." Sue returns warningly.

I mutter back a sorry that probably never reached her ears as I wait to hear what her next instruction is. For some reason she likes to have us stay in difficult stunt positions for extended periods of time to test us. It's really stupid if you ask me.

"Ok now Streisand is going to do a small jump to be solely on Lopez's thigh as Q is dismounted." Sue explains as if it's easy. Though compared to the rest of this craziness, it is.

When I am firmly standing on Santana's knee I let out a breath of relief. Santana is always my safe place.

"Ok, now, Tits guide Berry into a back flip dismount." Sue yells.

"Are you crazy!" both Santana and I scream together.

"We have to win this year! Just do it!"

I lock eyes with Santana before we both let out a deep breath and prepare for the dismount.

Before I am fully out of Santana's arms I know that we did this wrong. I am heading towards the ground quickly and as far as I can tell no one is directly below me. Right before I hit the ground I feel two pair of arms try and grab me, but they are not strong enough to stop my movement. I hit the ground with more force than I had ever before and the wind is instantly knocked out of me.

"FUCK!" I hear Santana scream followed quickly by "Put me the fuck down you assholes!"

I am still trying my hardest to suck in enough air to refill my lungs while trying to focus on Skylar's screams as a way to keep me conscious. That hurt more than I would have ever though it would.

"Baby? Are you ok?" Santana asks as she kneels down beside me.

I look at my girlfriend for a few seconds, trying to figure out if I can move my neck at all. Finally I realize that my body mysteriously does not hurt as much as I thought it would; I'm in pain for sure, but I am pretty sure that I will still be able to move when I work up the courage to try.

Finally after what feels like forever I slowly nod my head and let out a quiet 'yeah' all the while trying to even out my breathing.

After a few more moments I decide to try sitting up seeing as I can hear my daughters crying getting closer. I really don't want her to see me lying on the floor unmoving. Sitting up is a bit more painful than nodding my head was but still the pain is bearable. I give Santì a small nod to let her know that I'm still ok after sitting up before looking up at my daughter, who is being cradled by Quinn.

"Princess I'm ok see. Mama's ok." I tell her before taking a deep breath and attempting to stand.

Standing proves to be the most difficult and I let out a little whimper before falling back down to the floor to sit. I look over to Santana desperately and she instantly understands what I'm asking as she kneels up and grabs the baby from the blondes arms and brings her down to sit between us.

"See Princesa, your mommy is perfectly fine." She lies.

"Out of my way!" I hear Sue scream from the back of the crowd of people currently surrounding us. "Are you ok?" she quickly asks with worry in her voice.

"No thanks to you!" Santana screams as she gets to her feet. "We told you that it was too difficult! I told you that she wasn't to get hurt!" Santana yells while getting into the coach's face.

"Baby, please. Don't." I tell Santana in a soft voice. When the Latina looks down at me I tilt my head towards the baby who is looking up at her curiously.

Santana seems to understand as she sends one more glare towards Coach before bending down to scoop the little girl up. Skylar is none to pleased to be removed from my side but through her tears she is still passed to Brittany. Santana then bends down and lifts me from the floor as well, carrying me bridal style.

"I'm bringing her to the hospital just in case. Brittany and Quinn are coming with. If you want to kick me off the Cheerios for any of this, then fine by me." Santana says as she walks us towards the inner edge of the crowd, only to have it part for us.

"How are you? Are you ok? Does anything hurt really bad?" Santana questions as soon as we're in the car.

"I'm fine baby. It's not too bad actually. Just a dull pain… everywhere, but still I'm ok. We probably don't even need to go to the hospital." I tell her.

"Yes we do, Papi would kill me if I didn't bring you to see him after something like this. Luckily we shouldn't have to be there for too long." She tells me as we pull away from the school.

"Rachie do you think that you'll ever be able to walk again?" Brittany asks from the back seat.

I let out a small chuckle as I turn around to look at her, regretting the action instantly when a shot of pain works its way up my side. "Yeah Britt, I'll be able to walk again. I think I can walk now actually, I just liked having Santana carry me." I say with a smile that turns into a wince as I turn back to sit correctly again.

"Stop moving so much Rach, it's only going to make things worse." Quinn warns me softly.

We reach the hospital in record time thanks to Santana's driving and thanks to Tony's status we are brought right into the back.

"What the hell happened?" Tony asks as he storms into the room we're in.

"Fell." I say simply with a smile.

"I got that part." He says with an eye roll as he starts to check my injuries. "Luckily it doesn't look like you broke anything, just bruised yourself up real good." He explains after looking me over. "I'm going to prescribe you some muscle relaxers to help with the pain and you are going to need to stay out of school for the next few days to make sure you don't hurt yourself more." He tells me as he pulls out his prescription pad and starts writing in it.

"If she's not going to be in school then I'm not going either." San tells her father matter-of-factly.

"Oh is that so?" He asks with a small smile on his face.

"Yes." She answers back simply.

"Fine but only for 2 days, after that you're going back even if she's not ready to. Got me?" He compromises.

With a little hesitance Santana finally agrees and soon after I am discharged and we're back in the car to drop the two blondes off at their respective houses before heading back to mine.

"Baby you know that I'm ok right? You don't need to worry?" I tell my girlfriend as we settle down in bed. Since we got home she has been acting like I'm about to break; it is incredibly sweet, but she is going to worry herself to death at this rate. "You heard what your dad said, it was fortunately not as bad as it could have been."

"I know I just want to make sure that you're ok." Santana says simply as she leans down to kiss me. I instantly reciprocate the kiss, but when I try to deepen it she pulls away. I let out a whine of protest as she chuckles and settles into the bed beside me. "Can't over exert yourself Rae." She says while sliding over to put a few inches between us.

"Why are you moving away?" I ask, deciding to leave the 'over exerting' thing alone for now.

"Don't want to risk hurting you while we're sleeping." She says with a shrug.

"So I don't get to snuggle because I got hurt?" I ask with a pout. This doesn't even seem fair.

"I just don't want to hurt you more than you already are." She says while looking over at me.

"Baby I'm fine. Please don't make me sleep without my snuggle buddy." I whine while making my pout even bigger. I know I'm playing dirty but I don't care.

"That's not fair Rae." Santana whines back and I know that I've won; though I do add on a bit more pout just for good measure. "Between your pout, that your daughter inherited, I'm never going to get what I want in this house." She laughs out as she repositions us so that she is loosely snuggling me. I just grin at her statement as I close my eyes to go to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I have been trying to do everything possible to make sure that Rachel is comfortable and healing. Since we got back from the hospital I've been basically waiting on her hand and foot. Not that she's been asking me to, but I just need to make sure that she is ok.

"Where are you going?" I question as I see the smaller girl moving to sit up in bed.

"I need to get a glass of water so I can take my medicine." She explains as she continues to get out of bed.

"I'll get it." I say quickly as I hurry out of bed.

"Babe, I can get it, no worries." She says with a chuckle as she stands up.

"I don't mind."

"Santì please let me get it myself. I have barely been allowed to leave the bed since we got home from the hospital. I love that you're worried and that you're trying to help, but I need to move around. I'm going crazy!" She says dramatically, causing me to laugh.

"I just don't want you to hurt yourself." I tell her as I walk with her down to the kitchen.

"And I appreciate that, but I'm fine. I've been fine for the last 24 hours. There is no longer any need to worry." She tells me with a smile as she leans over and pecks me on the lips.

"If you say so." I mumble as we enter the kitchen.

She just rolls her eyes at me with a giggle. Which quickly turns into a huff as I walk to the cabinet and pull out a glass and quickly fill it up before she has a chance to.

"Santana come on! I am not an invalid. I can get a glass of water by myself!" She says with irritation in her voice.

"I'm just trying to help Rachel." I tell her in a small voice.

"And I appreciate that but you haven't let me do anything in the last few days! You have barely let me take care of my own daughter!" She says as her voice walks the thin line between conversational and yelling.

"I'm sorry I just don't want you to get hurt more! I already hurt you once, I don't want to be the reason you get hurt worse."

I never meant for the last part to come out. I never actually meant to be over reacting the way I have been, I have just been freaking out about this whole situation. I still can't believe that I was the one that hurt her like this. I should have been more careful during that toss. I knew that it was a tough stunt as it was; I don't know how I could have been so careless.

"What?" She asks with confusion written all over her face.

"I did this to you! I was the one who dismounted you so recklessly. If I had been more cautious it never would have happened!" I tell her as tears start to fill my eyes. I haven't really been able to talk to anyone about this yet, so the feelings are still really raw. I should have probably tried to talk it out with Brittany or Quinn so that when it was finally brought up between Rae and I it didn't make me react like this.

"Oh Santì." Rachel says softly as she walks over to me. "Baby this wasn't your fault. The bases didn't know where they were supposed to be and we didn't really know how to do the stunt properly. Sue should have never had us doing a stunt like that with so little prep. If it's anyone's fault it's hers, but it is _most definitely not _yours. I wish you had told me that you were feeling like this Santì; I wish you wouldn't have kept this inside for the last few days. You don't need to do all of this though; I'm fine sweetie. You need to relax before you give yourself an ulcer." She says with a soft smile as she softly stokes my cheek.

"But I was the one who dismounted you." I argue.

"Santana, you _guided_ my back flip, you didn't really dismount me. Either way, I'm fine now so you don't have to keep acting like I'm going to break."

"I just really love you, I don't know what I would do if I lost you. Especially if it was from something stupid, like the Cheerios." I tell her.

"You're not going to lose me. I'm right here." She tells me as she guides my hands to her hip so I can feel her. "See?" She says with the same smile as before.

I give a little nod as I lean my forehead against hers. I feel her left hand rub soothing circles on my hand as her right hand moves to guide my cheek back a bit so she can connect our lips. I am instantly caught up in the kiss and don't even consider denying her request to deepen it.

The moment her tongue slips into my mouth to explore I let loose a moan. I love the feeling, and I have been denying her the act since she has been hurt, so finally getting to feel it again is amazing. When she steps even closer to me, essentially molding our bodies together, I decide that it's time for me to take control and flip us so that her back is against the counter.

When my hands land on her upper thighs and give a little tug she instantly knows what I'm asking for and helps my movements along with a little jump. I smoothly pick her up and place her on the counter behind her without even breaking the kiss. As soon as she is comfortably sitting she opens her legs for me to step in between. I lean forward a bit so that I can get a better angle as I suck her tongue into my mouth, earning a moan in response. The moan helps to egg me on as I slip my fingers into her back belt loops and pull her closer to me, until I can practically feel her heat through all of our clothes.

When she starts slowly grinding her hips into my stomach I let out a groan and move to kiss a line down her jaw. I feel her hands move to my back as they deftly work their way under my shirt.

"I think we're…" her words are interrupted by a moan that leaves her throat as I bite down on her neck, "…wearing too many clothes." She finishes as her head is thrown back.

I pull back from my assault on her neck to be able to look her in the eyes. "What do you mean?" I ask carefully. I know that I sound ridiculous right now, but the way she said it made it sound more than her just wanting to feel me up.

After a short whimper of disapproval for my stopping she matches my stare. "I think we should go upstairs." She tells me with a small smile.

"Are you sure baby? You are still hurt and I don't want you to think that I'm pressuring you." I tell her worriedly.

"I am not hurt and you're most definitely not pressuring me. You have been amazing babe, absolutely amazing. I think it's time that I show you just how amazing you are and how much I love you." She tells me in a whisper as she leans forward to kiss my lips again, slower and softer than we were a minute ago.

"Ok. If you're sure." I tell her after our kiss ends naturally.

"I am. Lets go." She says with a smile as she jumps off of the counter and grabs my hand to lead me back up to her bedroom.

When we reach her room she turns to shut the door only to turn right back around and slowly and seductively start to remove my shirt. As she drops the shirt to the floor she lets out a small moan as her eyes roam my newly uncovered skin.

"I know that I've seen you in less then this before, but your beauty still amazes me." She tells me as she slowly glides her hands up my stomach. She leans in for a kiss at the same time that her hands move around to my back to skillfully snap open my bra.

When her hands move back around to the front to lightly squeeze my breasts I decide that it's time to start to undress her as well. I pull at the hem of her shirt until she backs away from me a few centimeters so that I can pull the t-shirt over her head. As soon as the shirt is removed we both surge forward again to resume the heated kiss we were previously in. I am about to rid her of her bra when her teeth grab hold of my lower lip causing a moan to rip from my throat and my hand trying to unsnap the bra to slip. She lets out a little giggle all the while continuing to leave kisses down my neck. I love this playful and dominant side of my girlfriend, but if she wants to play, then I'll play.

I quickly unfasten her bra and build up my resolve to take control again but almost lose my will when she starts sucking on my collarbone. I almost wish she had never found that spot, since she has she has been using it to one-up me. It's not really all that fair. With that mindset I manage to rein in my resolve again and push Rachel back just a little bit so that I can make my way down her neck. I need to gain back the lead, this is her first time and I should be focusing on her, not the other way around.

As I make my way down her body, leaving kisses in my wake, I can feel her breathing pick up. When I finally make it to her breast I don't hesitate to suck her nipple into my mouth and suck lightly. Her hand instantly flies to the back of my head to keep my head in place. I smile around her peak because I was definitely taking the reigns back.

Without removing my mouth away from her nipple I manage to pick her up, keeping her chest at mouth level. She quickly wraps her legs around my waist and slowly starts to grind her hips again. I pull away from her breast and lightly blow air on the stiff peak, earning a groan. I look up to her face and see that her eyes are black as she stares at me and her lip is being held captive between her teeth. I surge forward to capture her left nipple into my mouth earning yet another moan from the diva as her head falls backwards.

I walk us towards the bed and slowly place her on top of the blankets as I finally stop my attack on her prefect mounds and start to leave kisses down her stomach. When I place a kiss a few inches above her belly button her chest flutters and she lets out a whimper. My lips instantly turn into a wicked smirk. "Hmmm… did I just find someone's sweet spot?" I ask in a half loving, half mocking tone, before leaning down and lightly running my tongue around the spot. When I receive the same response as before I know that I've found what I've been looking for.

She wants to play dirty? I can do the same.

I continue to manipulate the spot a bit longer, until I feel Rachel withering under my touch.

"Please Baby," she moans out desperately.

I let out a small chuckle before relenting and moving to kiss down her stomach again. When my lips reach the top of her shorts I look up to ask for permission to remove them, I don't want to do anything that she's not 100% comfortable with. She quickly and enthusiastically nods her head and I know that she is completely worked up right now. I decide that I have teased her enough now and quickly remove her shorts in one motion. I let out a loud moan when I realize that she wasn't wearing any panties under her shorts.

"Why were you wearing a bra but no panties?" I ask, even though I could really care less right now.

"I don't know; is that really your main concern right now?" She asks desperately. I chuckle and shake my head no as I take her in.

She is absolutely soaked right now as her lower lips glisten with her essence. The sight alone is enough to almost make me come undone. I lean forwards a little bit so that I can take in the scent that I've smelt only in moderation through clothes, but never like this, never this close and exposed before. I take a deep breath in and let out a moan at her scent. It is better than anything I have ever smelt before. It's strictly and amazingly Rachel.

I guess that I have been staring for too long because Rachel starts to squirm under me; I'm not sure if it's because I'm making her self-conscious or because of her arousal level. Either way I look up at the love of my life again to ask one last time if she's ok with the progression of things. With a small smile and a quick nod I have the assent that I need and dip my self forward to lightly brush my tongue through her wet folds. The second my tongue touches her moans rip through both of our throats and I can no longer hold back. I reach my hand under her thigh to reposition her better before licking another line up to her clit. When I reach the hardened nub I suck it into my mouth and flick it with my tongue. Rachel is squirming under me again, but this time I know it is out of pleasure. I raise I eyes to be able to see her face and let out a moan when I see her looking down at me, lips parted, and panting. This has got to be the sexiest thing I've ever seen.

"Santana" the smaller girl keens, "inside. Please!"

Without letting her clit leave my mouth I give a slight nod and move a finger to circle her entrance. I slowly move my finger into her wet heat and the feeling causes my eyes to roll into the back of my head. She feels amazing. I slowly start to move my finger in and out of her, allowing her to get accustomed to the feeling. I know that she's not really a virgin, but I still don't want to move to quickly with her. When her hips start to move quicker I understand what she's asking for and I pick up the pace.

I continuously slide my finger in and out of her tight hole causing the most amazing noises to leave her lips. When I decide that I want to watch her as I make love to her I pull my face away from her heat and move my thumb to continue to massage her clit. I work the opposite path up her body, again leaving a trail of kisses as I go, until I am face to face with my beautiful girlfriend.

"More Santì. Please." She moans out as she opens her eyes to stare into mine.

I nod my head as I pull out just enough to slip a second finger into her. As the two fingers push back in her eyes slam shut again and her back arches off the bed.

"OH GOD!" She yells.

Watching her only spurs on my actions as I pick up the pace some more. I just want to see her cum, because if this is as sexy as it is, then I can't even imagine what she will look like mid-orgasm. I curl my fingers as I pull out and I instantly know when I hit the right spot because her eyes pop open and her eyes roll to the back of her head. It's sexy as hell.

"SANTANA!"

I can feel her walls start to flutter against my fingers and I know that she is teetering on the edge. I pump my fingers in a few more times before slamming them in and keeping them there to massage her inner walls. I use my thumb to push down harder on her clit, and with that her walls clamp down roughly around my fingers.

"OH MY GOD! FUCK! SANTANA!" she screams as I slow my movements to help her ride out her orgasm. I pepper kisses all around Rachel's face as I wait for her to come down from her high.

When her breathing starts to even out again I slowly pull my fingers out from their resting spot, much to the displeasure of both Rachel and I.

"How do you feel? Was that all ok?" I ask worriedly. The last thing I want is for her to regret any of this.

"That was… Jesus… that was amazing. I don't even have words for any of that. You are just amazing baby." She says with a lazy smile as her eyes slip closed and I smile down at her. I will never understand how this girl can manage to be ridiculously sexy one second and then look adorable as hell the next. "Give me a minute and I'll return the favor." She says tiredly.

I let a little chuckle out, because really it's obvious that she doesn't have the energy to do anything right now. "Don't worry about it beautiful, this was about you." I tell her while leaving a lingering kiss on the corner of her mouth. I love the little twitch of her lips that happens every time I kiss her there.

"But that's not fair. You gave me an earth shattering orgasm, it's only right that I give you one." She says with a grin, even though her eyes never open.

"It's okay babe, we have plenty of time for that." I tell her before settling down next to her and pulling her to rest her head on top of my chest.

I feel her smile grow bigger against my skin as she nods her head. "We have forever." She says with a yawn.

"We sure do." I tell her before drifting off to sleep with a huge smile on my face.

* * *

><p><strong>So I know I apologized for the long AN on top but... I'm adding more down here.. please don't hate me lol<strong>

**First off I want to thank alopez208 for helping me with the cheerleading part of this.. without her I probably would have sounded like more of an idiot than I already did lol.. On that note if that stunt seems unrealistic or stupid I'm sorry.. I took what alopez208 told me as well as youtube and then tried to make it sound flashy.. which is also why that part probably also sounds really confusing.. again I'm sorry, I tried my best lol **

**Just a heads up there is a huge possibility that the next chapter will have a significant time jump in it.. I have had a plan in my head for a while and its been taking me FAR too long to get to it so I've decided to just cheat a little bit and skip to it.. If there is anything anyone really wants to see let me know and either I'll decide to just add one more fluffy chapter in between or I'll make sure to touch upon it during the overview of whats been happening in the time lapse.. so let me know :)**

**I hope that their first time was up to everyones expectations.. I'm still a bit awkward with it all.. but I'm working on it.. hope its ok**

**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review and let me know what you all think :)**


	37. Chapter 37

**_I KNOW I KNOW! Please don't kill me guys! I seriously have had no time to really think in the past few months.. I work 40 hours a week and then also am taking a full course load.. then of course I need to find time for my family and girlfriend and such and this kind of got put on a back burner unfortunately. I will try my best to not let THIS big of a gap happen again. I promise. I really am sorry.. _**

**_Luckily Frankenstorm (AKA Hurricane Sandy) has given me a few days off work so I was able to finish this chapter up (since it has been started since before Chapter 36 was started) and maybe, hopefully I can get the next chapter written tomorrow.. I promise nothing though.. this one is shorter as a way to get me back in the swing of things though. I hope you all don't mind too much. _**

**_Thanks to everyone who has stuck with this story even though I have failed misserably at getting it updated and stuff. I am sorry that I havent been getting back to the reviewers anymore. They mean the world to me but I figured that I should try to write when I find the spare time. Please know that every review means so much to me and I appreciate every one I get along with the favorites and alerts. _**

**_Thanks to Toastedmarshmellow08 for helping out with this chapter and GE0309 for the beta. _**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

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><p><strong><em><span>Chapter 37<span>_**

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I'm not even sure how time flew so quickly. It feels like just yesterday that I found out Rachel's secret and met Skylar, and now I'm helping Rachel set up for Skylar's first birthday! Although honestly at the same time it feels like I've known Skylar all her life rather than just half of it. I seriously cannot believe that my baby is turning "1"! Ok so she's not really _my _baby, but still I hope to one day be able to call her mine. Though I think I'm getting ahead of myself with that.

I let out a sigh as I string up a few more streamers. I really wish that Rachel and I were a little older, I wouldn't even hesitate to ask her to be my wife and for permission to make Skylar my daughter legally. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and we're still a bit too young to start thinking about all of that. Plus I'm not even sure that Rachel would want me to officially be Skylar's parent. I mean sure we always say that we're a family, but that doesn't really mean what I want it to mean. Regardless of my title in respects to Skylar, I will _always _be there for both her and her mother, so I suppose right now that's all that matters.

I let out another defeated sigh as I tape the last streamer into place. As I move to pull my shirt back down, which had risen up as I reached up for the streamer, I feel small, warm hands run against the exposed skin and pull their owner flush against my back. I instantly recognize the person as Rachel and relax back into her hold.

"What's all the sighing coming from over here about?" She husks into my ear before placing a lingering kiss on the skin behind my ear. I panic slightly when I realize I can't exactly tell her the truth.

"Just thinking about how ridiculous it is that Skylar is already turning one," I come up with quickly. Technically it's not a complete lie since I was thinking that also, but it wasn't really the main point of the sigh.

"You think?" She asks sarcastically with a breathy chuckle as she pulls away from me. I let out another unhappy sigh at the loss. "How do you think I feel? I gave birth to her almost a year ago! That just doesn't seem right. She should still be my little newborn princess! Instead she's basically a toddler!" She says getting a little more panicked with each statement and starts pacing the living room.

I can hear her breathing starting to pick up and I rush to stand in front of her and cup her face between both of my hands. She hasn't really had many panic attacks lately. She had one right before Regionals because she was afraid that Jesse would show up again, but luckily the lack of his presence and the trophy they handed her and Shelby managed to calm her down. I would really like to keep that record clean now though.

"Babe, relax. Babies grow up, it sucks but it's a fact of life ok? Look at her though," I say as I motion to the little ball of energy that is currently crawling after a few balloons that Rachel had thrown on the ground after blowing them up. Though the baby had managed to walk a few steps at a time, she is still partial to crawling since she has found it to be less painful. "She is an incredibly happy, healthy, beautiful little girl Rae. _You_ did that! So yes she is growing up, and I don't like it any more than you do, but she is going to be an amazing kid who will grow up to be an even more amazing person, who will always look up to her amazing mother," I tell her while leaning forward and placing a tender kiss on her lips.

I feel her nod into the kiss as she attempts to deepen it. I let out a little giggle as I pull back from the embrace.

"I think we should finish up here, people are going to be here soon and the birthday girl is still in her pajamas and if I am correct, a dirty diaper," I say while scrunching up my nose.

"Close to six months and you still make that face every time she has a dirty diaper," she says with a giggle. She plants one last kiss on my lips before fully pulling away and moving to grab the little girl. Skylar screeches in pleasure and starts crawling away from her mother as quickly as she can, thinking that this was some sort of tag game.

"Get back here you stinky monster!" Rachel giggles out as Skylar pulls herself up to stand against the couch before half walking, half running over to me on unstable legs. When I see the toddler start to show the telltale signs of a soon to be fall I reach down and scoop her up. As Sky looks behind me to see Rachel 'sneaking' up on us she lets out a loud squeal and buries her head in my chest giggling. For Skylar's sake when Rachel finally reaches us and wraps her arms around both of us I let out a small 'surprised' squeak.

"Ah! Skylar she's got us! Nooo!" I yell playfully.

The smallest brunette looks up from her hiding spot and frowns over to Rachel. "NO!" she yells very seriously (of course that is the only other word she has mastered after mama).

Rachel laughs a bit before leaning down and leaving a wet raspberry on the baby's cheek.

"Come on stinker, let's get you changed for our impending guests!" she says in her voice designated for Skylar and Beth.

"Do you want me to get her ready?" I ask while keeping my eyes on the smiling facing look up at me.

"No don't worry about it I got it. I shall clean the dirty diaper as always!" She says dramatically.

"If you're sure," I say with a shrug while passing Skylar over to her mother.

"Oh nice San," she says with a laugh and I finally let mine out that I was trying desperately to keep in.

"Really though, do you want me to take her?" I ask reaching out to take the baby back.

"No it's alright, I want to get her ready," she says with a smile while rubbing her finger over Skylar's cheeks. "Do you mind finishing up with the decorations?" she asks. I respond with a small shake of the head.

"Of course not, you're right, this is a special time with your daughter," I say with a small, semi-sad smile.

Rachel shoots me a confused, questioning look before finally asking, "What's that supposed to mean? Babe you are more than welcome to come and help, I figured it would just be quicker to split up."

"No I totally get it. You're right, that makes the most sense," I relent before placing a small kiss on the mother's lips and one on Skylar's temple.

With one last weary look Rachel nods slowly before taking Sky upstairs. I don't know why I'm being so ridiculous about this right now. I mean these feelings have been present for a while now. I am completely aware that Skylar is Rachel's biological and legal daughter, but for some reason Rachel inadvertently proving and solidifying that for me hurt more than I can describe. I should really figure this shit out, because I refuse to allow it to affect my relationship with either girls, because really this is all about me.

As I finish fastening the last balloon to the doorway I look over the room and roll my eyes at how outlandish it is. There are streamers everywhere, and balloons are hanging down so that anyone over 5'4" needs to duck as they enter each room. Rachel is definitely overcompensating for her lack of birthday parties when she was younger, but I let it all go and helped her plan and put together this party because she deserves it and so does Skylar. God I'm so whipped!

A few minutes later, Rachel walks back into the room holding a watery-eyed baby who was now wearing a poufy pink dress instead of her pajamas.

"She doesn't seem to like the pretty dress we picked out for her," the diva explains with an eye roll before even fully entering the room.

"Oh no, you're not pinning this on me. I told you from the beginning that this poufy, itchy monstrosity would not be a hit with Mi Princesa," I chuckle out.

"Yeah, yeah just throw me under the bus like that," Rae responds with a giggle.

When Skylar finally sees me she instantly throws her arms and body weight towards me while more crocodile tears fill her eyes as she lets out a pitiful "momma".

Just like that everything stops. Rachel just stares at the child still in her arms for a full minute before looking at me and staring with an equal intensity. I am caught between so any emotions that when my eyes well with tears I can't even decide what they are for. I am beyond happy that Skylar truly saw me as her mother, terrified about what this development truly meant because as much as I love the idea it's still scary to think about me as a mother before even turning eighteen (I have no idea how Rachel handles it honestly). But I'm even more terrified that this may negatively impact my relationship with the young mother. For a long time Rachel only had Skylar and I'm not sure how she feels about me usurping the title so easily. All I can do is hope that Rachel doesn't take this as a sign that this has been moving too quickly or that I've been getting to close and deciding that it's time to end this before things can take a turn for the worse; especially since I have proven in the past that I am not the greatest role model or parent. Skylar for her part just looks utterly confused and annoyed about the fact that not only have I not picked her up as requested but that both Rachel and I seem to be staring at her strangely.

"She...she called you mom," Rachel says slowly as if still processing. The lump that is forming in my throat prevents me from speaking so all I can do is nod. Without taking her eyes off Skylar, she continues "and...uh...how do you feel about that?" she asks slowly.

"Honestly?" I ask, still incredibly worried about how she is about to react, still I cannot stop the huge smile from taking over my face. "Incredibly honored and equally happy." As I finally finish processing my smile fades. "More importantly how do you feel about it?"

"I think it's more important to know how you feel since you're the person who is being roped into parenthood at just under eighteen years old. Regardless, I am extremely happy that you like the idea and I can't even put to words how amazing I think it is that we can take another step towards being a real family," she tells me as a gigantic grin fills her face and tears leak from her eyes. "I have actually been wondering how you would feel about this since it's only natural for Skylar to think of you as a mother too. I was worried that when the situation arose that you would run for the hills," Rachel continues even though it seems like she is more rambling than actually having a conversation with me.

"I was worried that you would think I was ridiculous for even thinking of Skylar as my daughter. I didn't want to bring it up in case it would've upset you," I confess.

"Well this whole thing has been silly then I suppose," Rachel says with a small chuckle. I can only agree with her assessment.

When Skylar has finally had enough of being ignored she tosses her weight towards me again with another "momma" thrown in. This time I relent and take the one year old into my arms and allow myself to enjoy the sound of being called momma.

After kissing all around Skylar's face I move and place a kiss on my girlfriend's lips. Just as I'm about to deepen the kiss though the doorbell rings, alerting us to the arrival of the first guest.

"Saved by the bell," I laugh out as I pull away.

"Interrupted by the bell," she mumbles as she wraps her arm around me so we can open the door together. Moments like these used to end up being bitter sweet for me; I loved that we already seemed like a family but at the same time it reminded me that we're not. Not really. But now, after all that just happened I am able to fully enjoy the feeling and happily mold into Rachel's body while still holding Skylar close to me.

"Five bucks says it's my mom," she's says with a chuckle.

"I'll take that bet and counter with my dad," I say putting my hand out to shake, which she readily does, followed by a string of giggles.

When we open the door we both lean around to try and see who it is first and she lets out a huff when she sees Papi standing on the porch.

"Geez don't seem so happy to see me Rach," Papi laughs.

"Sorry Tony, of course I'm happy to see you," she says with a fond smile as she opens the door wider so she can give my dad a proper greeting.

"There's the welcome I was waiting for," Papi jokes as he returns the hug and places a kiss to the side of Rae's head.

When their hug ends he turns towards Skylar and I, and I give him the biggest smile I can.

"Hey Papi!" I say while leaning in for a hug. My smile turns into a frown when he returns a quick 'hey' and a quick peck to my forehead.

"There's my birthday girl!" he then says with a huge smile as he grabs Skylar out of my arms. My face instantly forms a pout. I hear Rachel giggle quietly as she bumps my shoulder; when I look over at her I see that her lips are tugged up in an amused smile.

I try my best to keep the pout in place and not let the smile take over as I mutter, "Shut up," but as the words leave my lips I can't help the smile anymore. I try to recover with an annoyed "I can feel the love Papi."

He lets out a loud laugh as he settles Skylar on one hip and pulls me into a proper hug and lands a long kiss to my hairline. "Sorry Mija, you know I love you."

"Yeah yeah," I joke while wrapping my arms around him, being mindful of the birthday girl in his arms.

"Birfday Sky!" I hear from the street. I let out a light chuckle as I pull back from my father's embrace to see Shelby struggling to get a squirming Beth to stay in her arms, the little girl gripping onto a package wrapped in birthday paper. The little girl for her part goes between yelling for her mom to put her down and yelling 'happy birthday' to Sky. The newest one year old still has no idea what is going on but, loves the attention while also squirming to get down so she can get to her best friend.

"Momma" Skylar whines out while leaning towards me when it becomes clear that Papi isn't going to let her down. I see Papi freeze in his motions as I grab the littlest brunette into my arms.

"She's calling you 'mom' now?" he asks just as Shelby and Beth finally reach us. Shelby adopts a surprised smile as well. A huge smile forms on my lips again as I kiss Skylar's cheek and nod my head 'yes'. "Does this make me Grand-Papi?!" he says with an excitement level that would be consistent with winning the lottery.

"Yes Tony," Rachel says with a giggle, "that makes you Grand-Papi."

"Sky! Birfday!" Beth squeals again, clearly oblivious to the current conversation.

"Before we leave these girls to play, give me my grand baby," Shelby says finally breaking the smile fest happening. We all laugh a little as Rachel grabs Beth out of her arms and says hello to the little spitfire as I hand Sky over to her grandmother. "Hey there Birthday Girl! How are you on this special day? I love you!" Shelby says in a voice a few octaves higher than her normal speaking voice as she places kisses all over Sky's face, causing the baby to giggle hysterically.

After finally get her fill of her grandmother's kisses Skylar let's out a warning whine and leans away from Shelby reaching her little arm out to the ground and opening and closing her fist. In my opinion the one year old is being generous with this warning, she would usually just start wiggling until she is given what she wants. Something that I'm about 90% sure Rachel hasn't figured out she is doing. Every time Skylar starts crying Rachel rushes to give her everything she could possibly want. I find it kind of funny watching Rachel run around like a mad woman. Don't get me wrong, I don't want Skylar to grow up to be a spoiled brat, I just thought that it wasn't my place. Though after today maybe my opinion will be better received; after all Rachel didn't seem to mind Sky calling me mom so that has to mean that I have a more solid spot in the family, right? I'll have to file that away for a later date.

"I think someone has had enough of adult attention and wants some time to play with her aunt," I say with a chuckle.

"It's strange to think of it that way," Rachel says with a small shutter.

"Yeah I'm not a huge fan of looking at it like that either, but it is something I've noticed in the past. Also something that we should probably come to terms with since they are going to grow up and learn about family trees and have a bunch of questions," Shelby says with a sigh and a small shake of the head. It's obvious that she has thought about this in depth at some point. I raise my eyebrow at her to ask if she's ok and she just gives me a small smile and another shake of the head. I'll have to remember to talk to her about it later. For now though, I just put my hand on her arm as a show of support as I follow everyone else into the living room.

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

Not too long after the two little ones were sat together to play while the rest of us talked and kept an eye on them, the doorbell rang signaling more arrivals. We had decided that since there weren't really any little kids that Skylar is close to, besides Beth obviously, that we would just invite Shelby's family, Sue, Barb, all of the glee club, and a few of the cheerios that we deemed smart enough to understand that this is going to be a one year old's birthday so there cannot be any alcohol or rough housing. They trickled in a few at a time, until the house was fuller than we assumed it would be. Honestly I never imagined that the Cheerios would actually come. Either way I was happy that so many people had shown up to celebrate my little girl's first birthday. Everyone there was showering the birthday girl with affection and presents and Skylar kept going between loving it and hating it, wanting to just be left alone to play with her friend. Finally once everyone had given her a hug, Santana and I decided to ask everyone to just give her some space for a bit.

We had taken a while to decide what we wanted to do at the party since neither of us are really too knowledgeable of the normal activities of a first birthday party, and finally decided that we should give her the birthday party that reminded us of our favorite birthday, not that I really have anything to go on. Ok, so maybe this was more for our amusement than for the one year old's. Whatever, I mean there's not really too much you can do with a one year old. We did however get a pretty awesome cake that has Skylar's face on it, and then a big cake so that when she destroyed that one, we would still have something to feed the guests.

Everyone seemed to think nothing of it when we started blindfolding guests and asking them to pin the tail on the donkey, though it might have taken a couple of minutes to explain to Brittany that a donkey's tail wasn't really pinned on. Oddly enough my mom won the competition and deemed it necessary to gloat about winning the game. I think she noticed a few minutes later what she was doing and what she was so proud of herself for, because she quickly turned bright red and became instantly quiet; though it didn't stop her from playing the rest of the games.

The piñatas came out next because it was a game that Skylar could play with us. We had decided that instead of getting the kind you beat with a stick we should get the newer kind where you just pull a string and the right string breaks the barrier, that way nothing in the house gets broken by Puckerman and the birthday girl can actually partake in the activities. We hung both of the candy filled piñatas from two different doorways, one hung a lot lower than the other, and deemed one just for the two small children and one for the rest of the party members. Everyone loved it; it was like everyone was transformed back to when they were children. Ironically though, Skylar and Beth were playing nicer than the teenagers who were pushing each other to get to the candy.

I let out a loud laugh before deciding to intervene, "Guys you do realize that Sky is far too young for candy and the other piñata is filled with way too much candy for Beth to eat? If you would just be patient enough to allow the _birthday girl_and the other _child _to finish their game, I am sure that you could _nicely _go over after Shelby deems Beth's hands full enough and take some of that candy," I say with an eye roll, making sure that they understand what I'm telling them.

Skylar flinched when she pulled a string and instead of the nice, colorful string just falling off nicely like the others, the latch tore and candy went flying to the floor. It obviously does not have the same effect on Beth because she quickly leans down to scoop up as much candy as her small arms can carry. Sky let out a small whimper while looking up at me thinking she had done something wrong.

"It's ok Princess, it just means you won!" I tell her in a soft, yet overly excited voice so that she knew that she hadn't just broken her new toy. When she raises her arms for me I gladly pull her into my arms and allow her to lay her head on my shoulder.

"She is probably overly tired, she usually has a nap by this point in the day," Barb says as she comes up beside me rubbing the little girls back. "Isn't that right Skylar?" she asks the little girl who now has her thumb stuck in her mouth as she looks up at her babysitter with a small smile.

"Yeah we should probably do cake and then call it a day," I agree, though the cake may make it difficult to actually get her to sleep.

We all filter into the kitchen where Santana is already setting up the two cakes. There is a candle in the shape of the number 1 on the small one and I feel the same nervousness I did when Santana first suggested the idea. To me, fire and one year olds do not mix, but Santana assured me that she would hold the little girl's arms down so she couldn't reach out and touch the flame.

We set the birthday girl into the chair and finish setting everything up. Santana gets the candle and starts to light it while Beth tries to climb up my leg to get close to the little cake.

"I help?" she asks as she points down at the little cake.

"Beth, this is Skylar's candle to blow out," Shelby chastises lightly as she grabs her out of my arms.

The cutest, most deadly, little pout forms on the little blonde's face as she lets out a pitiful "I help."

"How about you can help if Skylar can't do it alone?" I reason with her and her pout is immediately gone. I'm not sure if she actually listened to anything past 'you can help'.

Everyone in the room started to sing 'Happy Birthday' and I had to laugh because we sounded really good, I guess that's what happens when you bring in a winning glee club to sing. Shelby must notice my amusement because she smiles as she sings and shoots me a wink. I lean into her side as if on instinct and continue to sing the song.

"Ok Princesa, now blow out the candle. Like this," Santana says as she demonstrates how to do it. Skylar is struggling to get her hands out of her grasps but still tries to do as her mentor is doing. She tries to blow but instead only manages to spit all over the cake. After a few more tries we finally let Beth blow out the candle for her and everyone claps and cheers. Skylar loves the whole thing and claps along with everyone.

As soon as the candle is removed and Skylar's hands are released the little girl flings both hands into the small cake. Everyone in the room who has never seen the little girl being fed gasped and leaned back. I can't help but let out a full belly laugh. Skylar just stuffs the cake into her mouth and all around her face, completely unaware of the people around her who were awing at her adorableness. She is a mess but she looks so cute that I don't even try to stop her from smearing it on her forehead or on her chin. After a second of this I look up to Shelby and tilt my head towards the other cake and silently ask her to start handing it out. I don't really want to leave the little girl alone during this. With a nod, she sets Beth down on the table and quickly bats away the little girl's hands which instinctively move to treat this cake the same way Skylar was treating her own. The same pout forms on the toddlers face but it lights up when she receives her own piece of cake.

We were all laughing and joking as we each got our own pieces as the doorbell rang out through the house. I look around perplexed trying to figure out who it could be. Everyone we invited was here, and there wasn't really anyone who would be coming to the house otherwise. Santana gives me a face, which I assume is similar to what mine looks like, letting me know that she has no idea who it is either.

"Mom, can you watch out for Skylar while we get that?" I ask and start walking towards the door once I receive a nod of her head.

I open the door, not really sure what I am about to find. I let out a small gasp as I see who is on the other side.

"Hello Rachel."

"What are you doing here?" I ask incredulously. I'm not even really sure how to act right now. Should I be happy, sad, anxious, or angry? Probably that last one.

"Now is that anyway to speak to your fathers?"

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><p><strong>Ok guys I hope that was even a bit worth the wait! Im sorry again :( <strong>

**Please leave reviews guys.. I know that I have sucked and you are probably all angry with me but reviews really do help me to get into the mind set to write... soooo prettttty please leave reviews :)**


	38. Chapter 38

_****_**Hey! So I decided not to make you all wait until fucking forever to get the next update :P Plus I thought it would be a nice Thanksgiving gift lol.. and for all those who don't live in the US and therefore don't celebrate Thanksgiving its can be a nice 'Random Thursday in November' gift :P.. Plus my girlfriend is up and I didn't want to spend her entire time here hearing her complain about my lack of updating lol**

**This chapter was supposed to be way longer, in fact this is only about 1/4 of my outline for this chapter, but at the same time the rest of it is probably going to be really long so I thought that it may be better to just split it up.. I found a nice smoothing ending point and it solidified my decision.. Sorry for all those who are disappointed by my decision. **

**Thanks to all those who follow, favorite, and review this story! Your reviews last chapter were amazing! Thank you everyone! **

**I want to give everyone a quick heads up that unless my muse hits me hard core or someone comes at me with an amazing story line.. this story is probably reaching its close :( I hate to see it go but at the same time I hate to continue a story that I am having a hard time updating as it is.. its not fair to you guys **

**Thanks to my beta GE0309 and to Toastedmarshmellow08 for helping me with this chapter :D**

**Disclaimer: I. own. nothing.**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 38<strong>_

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

I just stand there, staring in disbelief at the two men who had no issues abandoning me over a year ago. How can they just waltz back in here like nothing has ever happened?

"Get out," Santana says in a low, threatening voice before taking a step partially in front of me.

"Excuse me, but no one asked you to join in on this conversation, in fact I think it's time that you go," my daddy spits at her.

"I'm not going anywhere," Santana answers, holding her ground.

I can't seem to find my voice. It's like I'm frozen in place by their reappearance and all I can do is just stand there and listen to them say vile things to the love of my life.

"Get out of my house before I call the cops on you, you little bitch," my dad finally supplies.

I finally find my voice when he threatens to call the cops. "Actually I was told the house was put in my name. So really if anything I can have you arrested for trespassing," I say in as even of a voice as I can muster.

"Rach, are you ok? What's taking-" Shelby stops midsentence when she sees the cause of our delay.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" All three parents scream at the same time. It seems to get the attention of everyone in the house too because within seconds everyone in attendance of the party is standing in the foyer. Most of the Cheerios look completely confused as to what is going on, yet I guess the screaming let them know that they had to stand to protect me because along with their confusion their faces are lit up with a fierce look of protectiveness. If this situation weren't so serious I would think it was actually sweet that they actually care about me.

"How dare you come back here!" I hear Noah scream as he tries to get to my fathers. Luckily Shelby is quick enough to hold him back and Mike quickly takes over the job of holding back the struggling boy.

"Everyone who is not apart of this family get the hell out of my house," Daddy says in his deep disciplinary voice. "That includes you," he says with a sneer towards Shelby.

It's weird that I still think of them as Dad and Daddy in my head, yet for the most part don't call Shelby Mom. I should probably rectify that, since honestly she's the only parent I have.

"NOW!" Dadd- Hiram yells angrily when he does not see anyone making any moves to leave. Everyone only takes a step closer to me and looks at the two men with defiant eyes.

"I think she made it perfectly clear that this is her house now and that you are the ones that should leave," Santana says in a fierce voice.

Hiram steps up and into Santì's space, "Look here you little shit-"

Whatever he was about to say is quickly cut off by Tony pushing him back towards his husband, "I suggest that you step away from my daughter and you mind your manners before the cops are called," he says in a threatening manner that I never thought I would hear Tony use.

"We want to talk to our daughter," Leroy says in a calmer manner than the shorter of the two seems to be able to manage.

"You lost the right to call her that when you kicked her out of your house and told her that she was no longer your daughter," my mom says as she steps up next to me. I look up to her and notice that she is no longer holding Beth in her arms. I look around for not only Beth but also Skylar and notice that while both girls are missing so are all the Cheerios, apparently since they weren't really involved in all of this they were given babysitting duty.

"Says the woman who walked away from her – how many times has it been now Shelby?" Hiram says with a smirk.

"Maybe she would have never left me if you two hadn't forced her to! Maybe I could have grown up with a mother if you two hadn't had your heads stuck so far up your asses! Maybe if you two would have been decent men, the men that I honestly thought you were until last year, I would have had someone to rely on when you kicked me to the curb!" I don't know where this defiance is coming from but right now, I'll take it.

"She had no stake in your life!" Leroy yells loudly.

"Because you never allowed her to! And for what? So that when I make a mistake I am left with no parent to turn to?" I ask as tears fill my eyes. I try my best to keep them at bay; I don't want them to see how they get to me.

"You think she would have been there for you if she had been around when you got yourself knocked up?" Hiram says sadistically.

"Honestly, I though that _you_ would be there for me during that time. I thought that _you_ would hold me and tell me everything would be ok. But that never happened now did it? Instead I was left to live with two people I barely knew and had to look over my shoulder every step I made. However when I did come back, after you so kindly _allowed_ me to, Shelby was the one that I was able to turn to. No thanks to yourselves." My voice rises as I go, I know I'm screaming now, but I just can't help it.

"That's enough!" Shelby says as she puts her hand on my back comfortably. "I think they were right about one thing," I look up at her with hurt eyes, to which she responds with a kiss to my hair, "everyone who is not apart of this family should leave."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Santana screams next to me.

"I said _not apart of this family _Santana," Shelby says with a meaningful look. Santana gives a small nod and an even smaller smile at the comment.

"Which would certainly mean that she should be gone," Leroy says.

"Actually she is my family now," I say simply with a withering glare sent towards the men. "I don't want anyone to leave though. This was a party before they showed up. They should just go so we can resume the celebration," I recommend even though I know that that will never happen.

I turn around to see everyone giving me worried glances before I give a nod telling them that they are ok.

I see Shelby pulling Quinn and Puck aside and whispering quietly to them. I come up next to her and instinctively she wraps her arms around my waist.

"Just hold them and stand towards the back. They are both freaking out, so they need to be comforted but I don't want them anywhere near this right now," I realize immediately that she is talking about the two little girls who are looking around with scared looks on their faces. I really don't want to have Skylar out of my sight right now, but I know that it's the only thing that makes sense. We don't know why my fathers made a sudden reappearance; we need to be careful.

"Ok," Quinn says with conviction. I realize, not for the first time, that she really does care.

I look around and see that Skylar is now snuggling into Santana's arms as the Latina whispers words into her ear. From across the room I can tell that the little girl is shaking. I move over to my family and wrap my arms around both of them, instantly burrowing my head into the other side of Santì's neck. After a few minutes I grab Sky from the taller girls arms and bring her over to Quinn. I then grab her a bottle and her favorite blanket. With that she sticks her thumb in her mouth while holding onto the blanket with her free hand. She looks up at me with scared and tired eyes and lets out a low, warning whine. I bend down a little in front of her and gently run the back of my finger across her cheek.

"Mommy knows your scared Princess, but you need to be a brave little girl for a little while longer. Soon enough I'll come and get you and we can all snuggle together. Everything is going to be fine," I tell her in a soothing voice even though I know she doesn't understand my words any more than she does what's going on around her. I place three kisses on her face and stand to my full height. "Here is her bottle," I hand Quinn the filled bottle that I had been carrying. "She looks exhausted so ideally she should take the bottle and fall asleep, but with everything going on I can almost guarantee it's not going to be that easy. If you think she's going to be too much I can see if Barbara minds taking her."

"Don't worry about it, we'll take good care of her. You should have all the adults up with you so that they can better protect you. Good luck with everything," Quinn says as pulls me into a tight side hug. "If you need anything just give me a call; I'll make sure that Sky is safe and be right over," she whispers into my ear before pulling back and walking over to Noah, who is holding Beth tightly to his chest. Even though both little girls are crying, they can't really be heard over the chaos happening. I close my eyes to try and calm myself. It doesn't seem to work though because it feels like now I can just hear everything even better.

I don't know how long I stand like that, but the next thing I feel is a comfortable and familiar heat pulling me backwards and into their embrace. "Everything is going to be fine Rae. Lets just go get it over with."

I just nod and open my eyes and see that everyone is looking at me with worry in their eyes. I give her a small smile, that doesn't reach my eyes in the least, and then reluctantly pull out of Santana's embrace and quickly grab her hand so that we are still making contact.

"Come on girls," Shelby says sadly as she pulls us through the crowd and back towards the front door where the unwelcomed guests are waiting.

"Do you really think that it is appropriate for everyone to be here like this? This is a family matter," Hiram says irritably.

"You're lucky you were allowed even this," Shelby says evenly.

Finally I find the voice to ask what I have been wondering, but too scared to ask, since the men first showed up. "What are you doing here?" I ask in a small voice.

"We've had a change of heart," Hiram says haughtily.

"It's a bit too late for that don't you think?" I ask as my irritation starts to spike again.

"No. She's only a year old, she won't even remember that we were gone. It's only right that she knows who her grandfathers are. Her only grandparents to speak of really," Leroy says, making it perfectly clear that he still did not see my mom as a logical candidate for parent or grandparent.

My irritation instantly turns into anger at this. "How dare you think that after everything you can just waltz back in here! The people you see right here, the people standing around you; _this _is my family, not you! What gives you the idea that you can just come back in here claiming a 'change of heart' and think that you can sneak back into my life?! You abandoned me! So you can continue to live your own life. I have made it this far without you, I see no use for you now!" I yell.

"You misunderstand Rachel. We stand by what we said before. Your actions are revolting and unforgivable," Hiram says in a disgusted voice, "and our minds nor our hearts have changed when it comes to the decisions we have made regarding you. However it is not right for us to take our opinions of you out on that little girl. Leroy says that she was beautiful when he last saw her a year ago. We have decided that we will stick around so that we can get to know _her._"

It feels like I've been slapped across the face. I just stand there staring at them. How can they even say that? Dad knew what happened. I told him! I just look down at my feet and say nothing.

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I let out a low growl at the absurdity dripping from these men's mouths. How dare they come in here, on such a special day and take this away from Rachel and Skylar! Rachel for her part is standing stiffly next to me not making a move or a noise. She just stands there looking at the floor. I want to kill these men for doing this to her!

As I move to lunge at the men I feel tight arms wrap around my waist. I instantly recognize the hold as Papi's but that does nothing to stop me from struggling in the grasp to try and rip the two idiots apart.

"Cálmate hija. Cuida de tu amor. Ella te necesita," he soothes into my ear. I look over to Rachel again and once again her posture makes me want to kill the men who raised her (I refuse to even refer to them as fathers anymore) but my need to take care of her wins out and I relax in my father's arms. Once he knows that I won't do anything stupid he releases me and I quickly take my girlfriend into my arms. I have to hold back a sob when Rachel makes no moves to hold me or even relax; she just remains tense and stiff in my arms.

"It's well past time for you two to leave," Shelby speaks up as she gets in the two men's faces.

"Who the hell do you think you are to kick me out?! Who the hell do you think you are to even be here right now! If I remember correctly, you were to have no contact with Rachel!" The shorter balding man yells, stepping up squarely into Shelby's space.

"Yes the contract said until Rachel is eighteen. I know that you both have completely failed in the parenthood department, but I would think you could remember that your daughter is now over the legal age," Shelby says semi-smugly. "Now. Get. The. Fuck. Out!" She says taking steps forward with each word, causing Hiram to step back towards the door and his husband.

When it is made obvious that the men are going to keep fighting this, I feel Papi reach into my pocket where my phone is and step out of the room. He is obviously going to call the police.

"Shelby you can't kick us out! You have no right! You are just the woman who we paid to be pregnant! You have no more than an incubator! Recognize that and take your leave Shelby!" The taller African American man yells this time.

Everyone in the room could see Shelby physically recoil at the statement. It was a low blow and hit right were it was supposed to. Both men share a smile and then look back to the crowd with smug smiles, thinking they had finally won a round. I look over to Shelby and see that she has tears in her eyes. Again the rage surges up in me and I open my mouth to give these jackasses a piece of my mind.

Before any words can form through Brittany is standing in front of me. Even from the back and I can tell that Brittany is beet red from anger. "Now listen here, and listen well because I'm going to say this once before I let you find out what years of dance, karate, and cheerleading has taught me. Shelby has been more of a parent in the last few months than you two have ever been. You have no right to talk to her like that when you just gave up your parenting duties on a whim when your daughter needed you the most," Brittany begins in a deadly voice. Everyone in the place just stares dumbfounded at the normally bubbly girl. I knew that Brittany was protective but this is bringing it to a whole new level. I hate the men even more knowing that they are forcing Britt to resort to this.

"You caused damage to Rachel that can never be undone and for that everyone here hates you, but for you to come back here, on such a special day, you must be plain idiotic. How dare you ruin this for them! Like they didn't have a hard enough time because of you?! You had to add salt to the already gapping wound that you caused!? Look at your daughter! No you know what you lost the privilege to call someone as awesome as Rachel a daughter. You broke her now not once but twice, and if you don't get out of this damn house right this second I will make sure you both sorely regret it," Brittany finishes as she gets in the men's faces with more ferocity than Shelby had.

Just as they looked as if they were about to shit their pants, the door behind them starts shaking as someone on the other side begins pounding on it. "This is the Lima Police, please open this door," one of the officers yells.

Just like that the terrified look on the men's faces disappears and yet again smug smiles take their place. The taller man opens the door with a smile. "Good evening officer, I am sorry to have to bother you for this, but my husband and I are trying to remove these hoodlums from our house but they are all refusing to leave," he greets.

"We were actually called to remove two gentleman of your description from the house, not the other way around," a woman officer responds as she looks around the man and into the house.

"Well there must be some kind of misunderstanding, because as I had said, this is my house."

"Actually Rachel said earlier that you deeded the house over to her," I speak up with a smug smile.

"And who may I ask is Rachel?" The male officer asks curiously, looking to each of the guest at the party.

Rachel doesn't even react to the inquiry; she just remains as she was in my arms. "This is Rachel," I motion down to the singer in my arms, "she's not really herself right now because these men came in here and said awful things to her. She is kind of catatonic at the moment," I say sadly.

"Is this true sir?" The officer regards the man who had opened the door (man do I wish I knew these men's names; but I guess I never had nor ever will have a reason to learn them).

"Well- uh. I do believe the deed is still in my name as well as my husbands," he finally answers. I think that he realizes that without Rachel's help there is no way for us to prove him wrong.

"Rae, I know that you hurting right now and you really just want to shut down, but right now I need you to tell me where you put the deed when your father's sent it to you," I whisper into her ear. She doesn't respond for a second, but eventually she pulls away from me and disappears upstairs. I am not sure if she is actually getting the paperwork or if she is just trying to get away from it all, but I hope that it's the former.

"Does anyone have any proof either way about the ownership of the house?" The female officer asks loud enough for everyone in the house to hear, not that it's too hard since everyone had quieted down to hear what was going on, even the two little girls which is strange.

As if on a cue, Rachel walks back down the steps with the same broken expression on her face and simply hands the paperwork to the female officer without a word, making great efforts to stay as far away from the men as possible.

"Mhm." The woman says while reading through the paperwork, after she finishes she hands the papers back to Rachel and with a soft expression on her face she gently speaks to the upset girl. "Rachel, right?" she asks and Rae just inclines her head slightly. "Hi Rachel, my name is Officer Simmons. Did you ask these men to leave before the police station was called?" she asks kindly. Rachel moves her head to look at the men she had once loved like no other and again nods her head to the officer. "And they refused to leave?" the woman clarified earning another nod, a bit more certain this time but still with little emotion. "Ok well would you like my partner and I to remove the men for you?" the officer asks and looks to her partner with a hard look.

When Rae nods yet again the officers start reading the men their rights as they slap handcuffs on them. I hear the male officer say "Maybe this will teach you to leave when asked for now on," right before the door to the house is shut again.

With that I look around to the group who had been laughing and having a great time not even an hour ago. Now Shelby was crying into my father's shoulder, Rachel was standing rigidly by the door with a blank look on her face, and Brittany looked as if she wasn't sure what to do with all the pent up aggression, not being used to anything even remotely similar to it. I look around again and realize that Puck, Quinn, Beth, and Skylar are nowhere to be seen. I quickly make my way out the back door to find the four sitting on the swing set out there with Quinn holding Beth close to her chest as Puck does the same thing to Sky. Both girls are looking around wildly, still crying their little eyes out.

I quickly make my way over to them and as soon as Skylar sees me she lets out a heartbreaking 'Mama' while trying to literally jump out of Puck's arms. I quickly grab her and hold her tightly to my chest without question.

"They wouldn't stop screaming and the yelling was only making them worry more. We decided it would be better to at least come out here so that the noise would be muffled. They shouldn't have to hear that," Puck supplies as he stands and wraps his arms around Sky and me. "I can guarantee that Rachel is not ok, and from what we could hear, neither is Shelby; I know you San and I know that the moment you walk back into that house you will go all 'White Knight' and completely push your feelings aside, so I'm asking you now: Are you ok? Is there anything I can do for _you _before you go and take care of them?" the mohawked boy asks sincerely.

Instantly my eyes fill with tears and I bury my face in his chest. I shouldn't be letting myself fall apart like this. Not now. But at the same time, the look on everyone's faces, the inner turmoil that all the most important people in my life are facing right now is just too much in that moment. I let myself have a minute to grieve the lose of Brittany's innocence, and of Rachel's hard earned progress, before righting myself again and pulling out of Puck's arms. That's all the time I had for that because now, I had to go and pick up the pieces that the two men created.

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><p><strong>So I hope you all liked the chapter! I really was worried about writing Brittany in the end there.. I dont want to make her seem too OOC so I hope that I handled that well..<strong>

**Please please please review! Your suggestions and comments really do help me to decide how to proceed. Even if I dont use one of your ideas exactly, most of the time I read a review and change it slightly to fit my writing style and stuff.. either way though a lot of my ideas start out as comments I read in review.. All of that is just saying... PLEASE REVIEW!**

**I appologize for both long AN's :P lol**


	39. Chapter 39

I know, I know! I suck! I never expected for that break to be so long, but my life is nuts right now and I am struggling to keep up unfortunately. Regardless I know that you guys deserve more :/

To be fair though this chapter was almost finished completely a full week ago but between my busy schedule and my beta's plus the fact that I kept changing my mind with the last song in the chapter it took a bit of time to be fully finished.

That being said I would like to thank my lovely girlfriend Toastedmashmellow08 for pushing me to freaking write, helping me finish it, and then proofreading the damn thing to make it presentable for all of you! She's the best and I promised her a while ago that I will not give a shoutout about her story 'This Week's Assignment' so i most certainly won't do that :P

Thank you all for sticking by me even though i know how much it sucks when writers do what I am currently doing to you! I appreciate all the support you have all been giving me and I hope that this longer chapter makes up for it a bit :/

P.S. this chapter is completely in Santana's pov.. I wanted to keep you guys guessing about what was going on inside Rachel's head this entire time.. not sure why lol

Disclaimer: I own nothing other than Skylar.

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 39<strong>_

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><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

After taking one more deep breath I slide the back door open and stepped back into the house with Skylar clinging tightly to my side. Once I take in the sight inside, I almost breakdown in tears again. Rachel is standing alone in a corner with her arms wrapped around herself as she stares blankly past everyone in the room, Shelby still hasn't stopped crying, but luckily she looks like she is calming down. Brittany is shaking by the door, clenching and unclenching her fists as she looks around the room wildly. Everyone else seems to be trying to figure out how to best help the three.

I hear Beth let out a pitiful whimper alerting me that Quinn and Puck must have entered behind me. The little blonde girl was still hiccupping as she tried to calm down, but seeing her mom crying into Papi didn't really help her efforts. I look over to see the toddler squirming her way out of Quinn's arms and running over to her mom as quickly as her little legs allow. Shelby finally pulls away from her hiding place to bend down and pick the little girl up and quickly holds the girl close to her chest as both mother and daughters' tears start anew.

Shelby keeps looking over to Rachel, and I can tell that the woman wishes she could go over and hold Rachel, but is also unsure how her actions would be received. Honestly, at this point I'm not sure how it would be received either. Actually, I am not sure if an embrace from me would go over well with the girl right now either.

Out of my peripheral I see Quinn run across the room. I look over to watch her grab her girlfriend and quickly wrap her arms around her. I furrow my brows in confusion as I watch the taller blonde girl push Quinn away, I would have thought that Britt would have happily taken the comfort that Quinn would bring her. It starts making more sense when I see Brittany push Quinn against the door that she had previously been leaning on and start attacking the girl's lips with her own. Apparently, Brittany found a way to let out her aggression.

"Mommy!" Sky screams alerting me to the fact that the birthday girl has officially seen her mom. I look over to Rachel and see her previously vacant eyes finally fill with some form of emotion as she looks over to Skylar and me. I feel a brief glimpse of hope at seeing the girl look at least a little less catatonic, but that hope is dashed when I realize she is solely looking at the baby in my arms.

Rachel quickly makes her way across the room, and snatched the little girl from my arms greedily, and brings her to her chest before looking at me with sad eyes. After what seems like only a moment those eyes turn back into the emotionless ones that have been present for the last half hour.

"Don't worry Princess, Mommy's got you. Everything is going to be ok." She murmurs to the baby in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Rae, how you doing?" I ask softly. I feel tears fill my eyes when I get no response, instead she turns away from me dismissively and walks back to the corner she had been standing in.

"She's right you know?" I hear Puck say from behind me before bringing me into his side. I look at him with confused eyes before looking back to where my girlfriend and… daughter are standing. It's crazy that less than twelve hours ago I was extremely excited and deliriously happy because that little girl called me Mom and now everything has gone to hell. "Everything is going to be ok." He finishes to clear up my confusion.

"You don't know that." I tell him sadly.

"Yes I do. She's upset and hurt right now, but there is a room full of people here that will do everything in our power to make sure that she snaps out of it." He tells me soothingly followed by a kiss to the side of my head before moving over to the other side of the room to see if Shelby is okay.

I stand helplessly in the center of the room staring at my family and trying to figure out what to do, not noticing that Shelby has finally calmed herself and her daughter down and was now walking over to where I am standing.

"I think it may be a good time to clear everyone out. I think we have a lot to talk about."

"You think?" I say sarcastically with a shake of the head. I finally take my eyes off of my girls to bring Shelby into a tight hug, being mindful of the little girl clinging tightly to her. "You are far more than an incubator Shelb, regardless of the initial arrangement between you and those assholes, you _are_ her mother and she loves you dearly. Don't let what they said define your relationship. And please, _please, _don't run away." I beg of her.

"Oh Sweetie, what they said hurt, and most of it may be truthful to an extent, but I will _never_ leave her again. I will never leave _any of you_ again." She explains, emphasizing the fact with tight squeeze and a kiss to my forehead. "It may sound strange, but I love you like a daughter too Santana."

I smile up at her with a smile on my face. "I love you too Shelby."

I take a minute to compose myself again before turning towards the crowded room. "Guys, I think that anyone who isn't family should probably head out. We love you all and are so grateful for you all standing behind us like you did, but there's a lot to be discussed and it may be easier if there wasn't so much going on." I explain, hoping everyone knows how much their caring means to me, to us. Luckily everyone seems to understand and start file out of the house.

"Do you want us to take the babies with us?" Puck asks as he, Brittany, and Quinn come up to us.

"Bethie, do you think you could go with Puck, Quinn, and Brittany for a little bit? Mommy will make sure she comes to get you in a little bit." Shelby asks the girl in her arms.

Beth for her part looks extremely skeptical about the question. She keeps looking from Shelby to the trio and then to me. Finally she nods her head slowly, still unsure, and allows herself to be lifted into Brittany's arms.

"Come on Baby B, you want to go to the park?" Brittany says in a chipper tone, however I'm not sure if she is just acting for Beth's sake or not. I'll definitely need to have a talk with her once I get Rachel settled.

Quinn walks over to Rachel after Beth is settled in the taller girls arms to grab Skylar but Rachel turns towards the wall and holds the girl closer to her.

"Rach it may be easier for you to talk and everything without having to worry about Sky." Quinn tries to reason.

From across the room I can see that Rachel has started shaking and I can hear Skylar start crying again. Quinn is probably right, it would be better for Sky if she wasn't here feeding off her mother's fears and anxiety, but I can tell that Rachel isn't going to let that happen.

"It's cool Q, it's probably best if she stays close." I say when it's obvious that Rachel wasn't going to verbally answer.

"Alright. If you guys change your mind just text and I'll head right back over." Quinn says while looking sadly at the duo huddled in the corner. I have to hold back tears when I see Quinn whisper something to Rachel and then pat her on the back only for Rachel to flinch away. Those stupid assholes did a real number on my poor girlfriend this time.

After getting all of Beth's stuff together the last three nonfamily members headed out the door towards the park and the house was once again left in silence. I honestly have no idea what to do in a situation like this. All I _want _to do is hold my girlfriend and daughter and tell them that everything is going to be ok, but I know that right now there is a good possibility that Rachel won't let me touch either of them. I don't think that I can handle being rejected like that right now, I need to be strong for them, so I think it's probably best not to push my luck.

"Rae, why don't you come sit down on the couch with Sky." My dad recommends quietly. Once he realizes that he is not going to get any form of acknowledgement or movement, he tries again, "Rae, Skylar is really shaken up and I think it would be best if I checked her out to make sure she's ok."

I know that he is just trying to get the girls out of the corner, but I am still glad that he is looking the baby over just in case. For just only turning one, that little girl has had way too much drama and fear in her life. Luckily it seems that Rachel is thinking the same thing because, she slowly turns away from the wall and moves over to the couch. Still not saying a word to anyone except the little girl in her arms.

Papi moves next to my girls without actually touching them and tries to gingerly pick Skylar up and out of her mother's arms. "NO! MOMMA! NOO!" Skylar screams as loudly as her lungs will allow, all the while trying to lunge back into her mother's arms. At this I lose my cool and have to turn away, as I feel the sob working its way up my throat. I didn't even realize how close Shelby was to me until I felt her cradle my head into her chest and rub my back soothingly.

"She's going to be ok San. They both are. Sky is just scared right now. Don't worry, we'll make sure that they both feel loved and secure." The older brunette tells me quietly.

"Sky calm down, Princess. Mommy is right here." Rachel says quietly. Her voice sounds so broken and it does nothing to help me calm down.

I am only able to move out of my hiding place in Shelby's arms when I hear Skylar give a whimper, signaling her tears are coming to a close. When I look back over I see that Sky has been safely placed back into her mother's lap and has her head on Rachel's shoulder as she gasps for air.

"Is she ok?" I ask. The question sparks Rachel to look up from the beautiful birthday girl in her arms and stare at Papi with a questioning look on her face.

"She has a bit of a fever right now, which is probably just from crying so much and her throat is very red, could be from the same thing. As long as she stays calm and the symptoms don't persist, once she has calmed she will be perfectly fine. If she still has a fever or a sore throat in a bit, I will want to bring her to my office and check her out more thoroughly and possibly give her some antibiotics.

"You here that Baby Girl? You are going to be just fine. Mommy's right here to take care of you." Rachel murmurs to the little girl. Sky for her part seems to be trying to keep her eyes open even as they droop close. The little girl has to be exhausted between the excitement of her party followed by the crapfest of her 'grandfathers' showing up. It's no wonder she is so tired now.

"Babe do you think we should put her in her crib? It may be easier to talk if we don't have to worry about waking her up." I ask while trying to keep my voice from cracking. I need to at least pretend to be strong for her right now.

The only response that I get is a quick glance up before she returns her sights on her daughter. I furrow my brow as I watch my usually open girlfriend fold in on herself. I don't know how to begin to fix this.

I slowly walk over to where she is sitting on the chair and sit next to her. Without making any sudden movements, I slowly move my hand until it is resting on her knee and take it as a small victory when she does not flinch because of it. Instead she raises her eyes to meet mine for what seems like the first time since everything has happened.

"I think it would be better for Skylar if she wasn't down here while we talked. Papi said that she shouldn't be getting anymore upset. If she stayed in your arms she would feed off of all of your feelings and get worse. Can we please put her in her crib? She will only be right upstairs and we'll have the monitor to make sure you can get to her if she needs you."

Luckily my words seem to sink in this time and she looks back down to Skylar before nodding slowly. It is the first time that she has responded to anyone since her fathers left. She carefully stands up, making sure not to shake Skylar awake as she does. I stay seated trying to figure out how to even breach this topic, and just hoping that Papi and Shelby have some idea on how to proceed. I am completely in shock when I see a hand fall into my line of sight and look up to see that Rachel is holding her hand out for me to take while giving me an expectant look. I quickly take the proffered hand and walk with my two favorite girls up to the nursery upstairs.

When we reach the baby's room I move over to lower the bar so the singer can easily place the sleeping bundle in the crib. When she is in securely and laying on her back, Rachel leans down and places two kisses on each cheek and one on the birthday girl's forehead like always but instead of leaning up she stays hunched over for a second, leaning her upper body on the lowered bar.

"Happy Birthday Princess, I'm so sorry it didn't end as amazingly as it started." With that Rachel kissed the little girl three more times and moved over to let me kiss her stomach as always.

Once out of the room Rachel flings herself into my chest and holds on so tight I can barely breath, but I say nothing about it. I quickly wrap my arms tightly around her and hold her, expecting her to cry. Instead she just hugs me tight without saying anything or shedding a single tear. I find it strange that she has yet to cry. She hasn't shown any emotions actually.

"None of this is your fault Love, none of it. You did everything you could think of to make this day perfect for her and in the end those two assholes messed it up. I was so proud of you for standing up to them like you did. I promise that I will make sure they never hurt you or that little girl again." I tell her sincerely.

The smaller brunette again says nothing to me in response, but instead collects herself and pulls slightly away from me without actually stepping away from me. She tucks herself into my side as we walk back downstairs and I happily hold her there and offer her whatever support she will allow me to give her.

When we get back downstairs I lead us over to the couch opposite the love seat that our parents are sitting on. Once I sit down Rachel climbs up on my lap and snuggles into my chest. I wrap my arms around her again and place a kiss onto the top of her head.

"Rach, are you ok?" Shelby asks softly.

I can tell that the poor woman doubts her abilities to parent Rachel now and it just makes me hate the men even more. Rachel only shrugs her shoulders in response without looking over to her mother. Rachel's non-answer definitely isn't helping Shelby's confidence at all. I just really hope that Dumb and Dumber didn't reverse all the hard work these two have put into their relationship over the past few months.

"Ok ." Papi starts while putting his hand on Shelby's back to comfort her. I still think that its equal parts cute and creepy how close the two have gotten since Shelby came back into Rachel's life. "We are going to need to make sure this _never_ happens again Rach. Shelby and I were talking and we think that first, we should definitely get a restraining order against them. That way we can insure that they don't come near you, Skylar, Shelby, or Beth and even possibly Santana and I just to be safe."

"I definitely agree." I tell them. I had been thinking the same thing since I first saw who was at the door. I never want those men to be able to get close to anyone I care about ever again.

As enthusiastic as I am about the idea, Rachel still only responds with a simple nod. I let out a sigh when I realize the singers newly found muteness isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

The three of us talk for a little while longer while Rachel stays quiet on my lap for another hour or so. When I realize that my girlfriend has actually stopped responding in anyway I look down to realize that she has actually fallen asleep on my lap at some point. I just watch her sleep for a little while, zoning out on the conversation between my dad and Shelby. We still are no closer to figuring out anything we can do against the men other than the restraining order. We thought about suing them for a bit, but then nixed that idea because it would probably just cause more stress on Rachel then necessary. As long as the men stay away we'll let sleeping dogs lay.

The current problem however was how to shake Rachel from her slump and make her realize how loved she is. I would do anything for her and Skylar, and I do not want her fathers' actions to make her forget that. As I stare down at my slumbering love I try to come up with a plan to show her how much not only I love her but how much every single one of our friends love her as well.

"Santì?" I am brought out of my revere by Papi's voice. "I asked if you wanted me to carry her up to her bed." He says softly so as not to wake up Rachel.

"Yeah that would be great. I need to do something quickly anyway." I tell him while smiling sadly at my savior. He really has been so strong since Mami been gone. I know that I am not an easy daughter to have, but he would still do anything for me and now he has extended that love and protection to the new additions to my family without a second thought. He is the best man I know and I could not imagine having him in my life. If I were to be in Rachel situation, I seriously have no idea how I would handle it.

As soon as Papi carries Rachel from the room I turn back towards Shelby and quickly tell her the plan I just thought of. She really seems to like it and agrees to tell everyone else involved.

We have most of the logistics planned out when Papi walks back down into the living room holding a fussy little girl. "She was squirming around in her crib when I checked on her. I changed her and everything but she wouldn't go back to sleep. I checked her out though and her fever has gone down and her throat isn't as red. Just keep an eye on it through tomorrow to make sure the redness is still going away." He explains me as Skylar looks over to me whimpering a pitiful "Momma" and reaching out for me.

I stand up and hold the precious little girl close to my chest so she can hear my heartbeat hoping it would sooth her back to sleep. I counted my lucky stars because it seems to work. The last thing Rachel needs is to be woken up by Skylar screaming. Rae really needs her sleep tonight, she had been staying up all night trying to make this day perfect. Then with today's events, she is going to run herself down if she doesn't finally get a good night's sleep.

When Skylar has passed out in my arms again Shelby and I finish a few more plans for the following day and then she heads out with Papi to go get Beth and let the others know what's going on. Once I have seen them out I walk back upstairs and into the master bedroom. I decided that with everything that has happened it would be best for everyone involved if Skylar slept with Rachel and I tonight. As I drift off to sleep I just hope that tomorrow will be better.

Within the first twenty minutes of being up I can already tell that Rachel is still no closer to talking to anyone other than Skylar. Every time I have tried to get her to say something to me I just get a noncommittal shrug or a nod or shake of the head. I guess I should just be thankful that she seems fine with talking to Skylar, at least that means that she hasn't completely given up. As long as she stays strong for that little girl there is still hope that we can pull her back from this. Having her leave Skylar with Barb took a bit of cohering, however when I finally promised Rachel that I would bring her home promptly after third period she relented and climbed into my car.

The first class of the day went by quickly and during second period all of the girls from the TT, other than Rachel, got excused from class to work on my idea for Rachel.

During the beginning of third period I went to Rachel and mine, English classroom and handed the teacher the note that Shelby wrote for me and Rachel to get out of class. Once the teacher signed the pass I walked over to Rachel and asked her to follow me. She furrows her brow, but still packs up her things and follows me to the auditorium without question. I'm guess asking a question would be pretty hard since she is still refusing to speak. I walk Rachel over to the director's desk and have her sit down before explaining.

"We wanted to show you how much you mean to us Rae." I start out by saying.

"How much we love you no matter what." Tina adds.

"And we wanted to prove to you that we have your back." Quinn lets her know.

"Even if your _old_ family is a bunch of meanies." Brittany finishes with as I walk up onto the stage and sit on the last stool.

_Santana:_

**Regrets collect like old friends **

**Here to relive your darkest moments**

**I can see no way, I can see no way**

**And all of the ghouls come out to play**

_Tina:_

**Every demon wants his pound of flesh **

**But I like to keep some things to myself**

**I like to keep my issues drawn **

**It's always darkest before the dawn **

_Quinn and Brittany:_

**And I've been a fool and I've been blind **

**I can never leave the past behind **

**I can see no way, I can see no way **

_Tina , Quinn and Brittany:_

**I'm always dragging that horse around **

**Our love is pastured such a mournful sound **

_Tina:_

**Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground **

_Santana:_

**So I like to keep my issues drawn**

**But it's always darkest before the dawn **

_All four:_

**Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa **

**Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa **

**And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back **

**So shake him off, oh whoa **

_Tina, Quinn and Brittany:_

**And I am done with my graceless heart**

**So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart **

_Santana:_

**'Cause I like to keep my issues drawn**

**It's always darkest before the dawn**

_**(**__Quinn and Brittany__**:**_**Dawn!**_**)**_

_Quinn and Brittany:_

**Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa **

_All four:_

**Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa **

**And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back **

**So shake him off, oh whoa**

_Santana:_

**And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back**

_Quinn and Brittany:_

**And given half the chance would I take any of it back **

_Tina:_

**It's a fine romance but it's left me so undone**

_All four:_

**It's always darkest before the dawn **

**Ooh hoo oooh hoo... **

_Santana:_

**And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't **

_Santana and Tina:_

**So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my rope **

_Santana:_

**And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope **

_Santana, Quinn and Brittany:_

**It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat, cause **

_Quinn and Brittany:_

**Looking for heaven, **

_Tina and Santana:_

**found the devil in me**

**Looking for heaven,**

_Quinn and Brittany:_

**found the devil in me **

**But what the hell **

_All four:_

**I'm gonna let it happen to me, yeah **

_Tina and Santana (Quinn and Brittany):_

**Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, (Ohhh) oh whoa (Oh)**

**Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, (Shake it out)**

**ooh whoa**

**And it's hard to dance (When it's hard to dance) with a devil on your back**

**So shake him off, oh whoa (So shake it off, oooh)**

**(Shake it off) **

**Santana (Tina, Quinn and Brittany)**

**Shake it out, shake it out, (Yeah) shake it out, shake it out,**

**(Shake it out) ooh whoa **

**Shake it out, shake it out, (Shake it out) shake it out, shake it out,**

**(ehhh) ooh whoa **

**And it's hard to dance (Hard to dance) with a devil on your back**

**So shake him off, oh woah (Shake him off) **

**(Oh oh woaah oh oh) **

**Santana and Tina (Quinn and Brittany)**

**Shake it out, shake it out, (Shake it out) shake it out, shake it out, (Shaaake) ooh whoa (It out)**

**Shake it out, shake it out,**

**(Ehh) shake it out, shake it out, (Eh, eh eh) ooh whoa **

**Santana and Tina:**

**And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back **

**Santana (Tina, Quinn and Brittany):**

**So shake him off, oh whoa (Shake him off, oh woooah)**

By the end of the song, all four of us are completely out of breath. We all tried to put as much energy and soul into the song as humanly possible to show our lead what she means to us. I try to look down at the girl the song was aimed towards, but the stage lights that Puck and Mike were manning were still on us making it impossible for us to see her clearly.

"Thank you for the song. It means a lot." Rachel says just loud enough for it to float to our ears. It is the first thing she has said to anyone other than Skylar, but it is still lacking any type of emotion. I suppose it is still a step in the right direction, but it still stings to know that my girl is still so lost. I am not naïve enough to think that this one song would make everything better but I thought it would have a bit more affect than it did.

The spotlights finally turn off and I can see that Rachel is standing up from the director's desk looking just as distant as she has before and I have to hold back the tears that well up in my eyes. I feel Tina squeeze my elbow to let me know she is here for me, but all I want is for my girlfriend to be ok. With a sigh I discreetly wipe my eyes and make my way down to where Rachel is standing. I wrap my arm around her and waist and walk her out of the auditorium. I hear the boys come in the back door and call out to tell me to call them if we need them for anything. I barely acknowledge the comment save for a wave of the hand before the door closes behind me and I lead Rachel towards my car so we can head home for the next two and a half periods.

When I pull up to the house there is a red BMW in the driveway that I have never seen before, and I can tell that Rachel hasn't ever seen it before either because she is looking at it with confusion written all over her face. When I look at the first door I swear and quickly unbuckle my seatbelt and leap from the car. I hear a second door slam and know that Rachel is following behind me.

"I said let me into my god damn house!" Rachel's shorter father is screaming while trying to push through the barrier that Barbara has created with the door.

"This is not your house, that was proven last night. Now please leave before I am forced to call the cops. I am sure that they would love to pick you up for a second time in just a few days!" Barb yells.

"Get out of here!" I scream as I push my way in front of them.

"YOU!" the taller man yells while the smaller, balding man turns around to find Rachel just as she is reaching the stoop.

"It is not right for you to keep her from us Rachel! We deserve to meet our granddaughter. We could probably offer her a better life than living with a teenager who is still in high school anyway!" the man tells her in a cocky voice.

I open my mouth to scream at the men, to tell them exactly what they could do with their offer, when I am beaten to the punch for the second time in two days.

"You deserve?! You don't deserve ANYTHING!" Rachel screams. Everyone looks at her in shock, not expecting her to be the one to finally give the men a piece of her mind.

"_I deserved_ to have parents who took care of me and loved me unconditionally. _I deserved_ to be taken care of when I was pregnant and scared._ I didn't deserve _to be abandoned and left to my own devices at fifteen. _I didn't deserve _to be beaten by my uncle for no other reason than that he was drunk and felt like it. _I didn't deserve _to be judged by my own fathers for being raped! There are a lot of things that _I didn't deserve_ but none of those things matters do they!? NO! Of course not! Because this is all about what you two assholes deserve."

"So I'll tell you what you two deserve. _You deserve _to be put in jail for abandonment. _You deserve _to be made to answer for you actions. _You deserve _to never be allowed near me or my _family_ again, because you are not my family anymore. You don't deserve anything! So _please_ don't come to me and tell me what you do or do not deserve because believe me I am _well_ aware of what you deserve and I am being nice enough to spare you from that fate."

"So now get the _fuck_ off my property and out of my life because the next time you come near me I will have a restraining order against you both and will not hesitate to have you arrested for breaching it. That little girl up there is the most precious thing in this entire world and neither of you will _ever _have a chance to taint her. You had your chance to raise a child and you blew it so please don't come to me and tell me that you could raise her better than me. I have had a perfect example of exactly what _not _to be when it comes to being a parent and I don't plan on heeding those examples!" By the end of her rant, she was screaming.

No one stopped her because Barb and I thought it was good for her and the two men had no idea how to stop her plus they were both still staring at her with the jaws on the ground.

"Is there a problem here gentlemen?" I hear from behind Rachel and move to the left to see who it is only to see the two cops who were here the night before. I smirk at the two men who instantly freeze upon seeing who just pulled up.

"No. No problem at all officers." The taller man says.

"Actually officers these men are trespassing on my property again and I do believe they were asked to leave and attempted to push their way into my house anyway." Rachel says in an air of confidence that screams 'Rachel Barbra Fucking Berry' and I couldn't help but to beam with pride to see my girlfriend is back.

"I would highly appreciate it if you could remove these men from my property again, assuming that you don't need to see the deed again." She finishes .

"Absolutely ma'am." The woman officer says with a smile clearly happy to take care of the men yet again. She pulls out her handcuffs and slaps them on the shorter man while her partner follows suit with the taller man.

"If you have any more problems with these two do not hesitate to call Miss Berry." The male officer adds as they pull the men away.

"Way to go Baby!" I yell before Rachel collapses into me, sobs racking her body. I quickly wrap my arms around her and look at Barb for help, but she just gives me a sad smile and opens the door for us and walks. She holds the door as I struggle to keep Rachel upright and get her into the house.

She is crying so hard that her entire body is violently shaking, making it impossible for me to get her legs to move. Finally I bring my arms under her legs and pick her up bridal style. I carry her into the bedroom since I hear Skylar whining in the living room and decide it's better for the little girl not to see her mom like this. I seriously have never truly appreciated Sue Sylvester's crazy training methods until I started dating Rachel. It seems ever since we started dating I've been using my muscles more outside of the Cheerios.

I held Rachel as she continued to cry out all of the tears. Necessary, tears that have been stuck inside since this all began last night. I only try to stem the flow of her tears when the petite girl starts gasping for breath. She hasn't had a panic attack in months, but I should have assumed that this would have sent her into one.

"Rae you need to breath." I tell her as I try to sit her up. She is having none of it though because as I try to push her up she just holds on tighter to my shirt and tries to bury her face in my chest.

"Rachel, sit up for me love," again I get nowhere with my request.

"Rachel Barbra Berry. Breath!" I tell her as I finally mange to pull my shirt free from her grasp and get her to sit up. I quickly grab her hand and push it to my chest like all the times I have done this before. "Follow my breathing Baby. In and out." I tell her and finally she starts to even her breathing out. "That's good Rae. Just like that."

"How could they do this to me? How could they say those things to me? What did I ever do to them, to make them think I deserve any of this?" She asks in a broken voice.

I am forced to wait a second before answering because if I don't my response would turn into a sob. "You don't deserve any of this Rachel. You are amazing and those men are nuts not to see that. They are just assholes Rae." I tell her sincerely.

I get a nod in return before once again she is sobbing into my chest. I hold her tightly and allow her to cry more. I feel helpless to do anything other than just this.

We end up spending most of our free periods in bed while she cries until finally she ends up falling asleep. I send a text off to Shelby to let her know what's going on before managing to pull myself up from the bed to check on Skylar and Barb. Barb looks at me with worried eyes as soon as I walk into the room while Skylar crawls over to me and uses my legs to stand herself up. I pick the little girl up while reassuring Barb that the singer is fine, or at least she is going to be.

I decide that I will give Rachel the chance to decide whether she wants to go to the rest of our classes or if she would just prefer to skip, so about half an hour before sixth period is about to begin I wake up sleeping beauty to find out what she wants to do. Not surprisingly she tells me that she wants to go to classes. I am surprised however when she tells me that she also wants to go to glee.

"Rae I think Shel will be ok if we decided to skip out on Trouble Tones practice just this once." I tell her.

"I know she would be but I need to get my mind off of all of this and plus there is only two more weeks before we are on a plane towards Nationals in LA. I want to go San. Please."

"Alright Babe. But if you decide that you can't handle it, just let me know."

"I'll be fine I promise." She tells me with a quick peck to my lips before she rolls out of bed and goes into the bathroom to clean up.

The rest of the day goes by quickly. Like always I walk over to Rachel's eighth period class to walk with her to our lockers and to glee. Everyone has filtered out of the classroom, but I still haven't seen her, I look into the classroom to make sure that she isn't still talking to the teacher or something. When I know for sure that she isn't there my fears start to take over and I begin to think the worst.

"Ms. Lopez," Ms. Lucas calls to me from inside Rachel's eighth period classroom. "Ms. Berry left a few minutes before the class ended on her way down to Ms. Corcoran's office." She tells me kindly with a knowing smile. I thank her and take off towards the auditorium, figuring that's where the mother/daughter pair will be heading.

I take sigh relief when I see that my assumption is correct and that Rachel and Shelby are both standing on the stage talking. I make my way towards them when Shelby calls out to me.

"San have a seat with the rest of the club, Rachel has something she would like to share with all of you."

I stare at them in confusion for a second before finally relenting and taking a seat between Brittany and Puck.

"Hey guys, I am sorry that I didn't give proper thanks for the song earlier. I was kind of regressing a bit and that was wrong of me. You have all been there for me when I didn't think anyone would be and for that I cannot say thanks enough. My fathers showing up kind of threw me a huge loop and I was struggling to keep my priorities in check. Their presences made me start to think and feel like I did before I got pregnant, and I promise I was fighting against it but it felt like a losing battle.

"Either way, it was not fair to any of you because you have all, including the Cheerios, proved to be amazing people and even better friends."

She takes a deep breath and looks down to the ground for a second before looking up with watery eyes. My first instinct was to get up to go hold her but Puck and Brittany both put hands on my legs to keep me seated.

"Let her do this on her own San. If she needs you she will ask for you," Puck whispers without taking his eyes off of the girl on stage. I nod my agreement as Rachel starts talking again.

"I am ready for this whole experience to be in the past. I am ready to prepare for Nationals. I realize that it's only been a day since it all happened and I may be sounding a bit dramatic, but I feel like this whole thing has been a long time coming and I am genuinely happy that it is finally over. So in a true Rachel Berry style, I am going to sing it out and then move on." She says earning a few laughs from the Cheerios who don't fully understand that this is truly the Rachel Berry way of getting things off her chest.

As the music starts I sit back and just allow Rachel's pitch perfect voice roll over me as I take in the words that she is singing.

She starts out standing still looking above everyone in the audience, just singing a song that I only heard a few times when it happened to came up on her ipod before.

**You have so many opportunities I never had**

**Don't push so hard, nothing is ever easy**

**And this talent that you take for granted, **

**it's a gift from god**

**Don't pass it up, nothing is ever easy**

**Are you ready to work real hard**

**Are you tired it's just the start**

**Listen to me son, I'll take you far**

She starts to get more passionate about the song as she starts focusing on the crowd more before looking around like she's confused. I don't know if she is just acting or if she is truly wishing her fathers were here to hear her song.

**You can call it anything you want the fact remains the same**

**I never got to be your Fred Astaire**

**You can lie to yourself and all your friends and pretend that you don't care**

**But circumstance gets in the way**

She says the last line of that verse with a bit of a scoff before continuing onto the next line while doing the dance moves that the song calls for.

**Heel, toe, heel, toe, side to side AGAIN, **

**gonna get it right**

She says with so much emotion that I can feel the struggle that I know she is still fighting through as she sings.

**Don't push so hard, nothing is ever easy**

**Don't forget your please and thank you's, **

**don't forget to smile**

**Don't pass this up, nothing is ever easy**

As she enters the courus she starts dancing and jumping around just allowing herself to get consumed in the music.

**Are you ready to work real hard**

**Are you tired it's just the start**

**Listen to me son, I'll take you far**

**Take you far**

**You can call it anything you want the fact remains the same**

**I never got to be your Fred Astaire**

**You can lie to yourself and all your friends and pretend that you don't care**

**But circumstance gets in the way**

As the next verse starts though she stops where she was dancing and starts singing with the same amount of passion as before.

**Their pushing these children for all the wrong reasons**

**So far, man you're crushing down their spirits**

**You're pushing these children for all the wrong reasons**

**So far, man you're crushing down their spirits**

**Suffocate, emancipate, turn their backs and walk away eventually, eventually**

As she sings the 'eventuallys' she shakes her head and I can hear the sorrow in her voice; the sorrow for finally having to give up on her family.

**They suffocate, emancipate, turn their backs and walk away eventually, eventually**

I join in with the back up singing since I know the song. She starts to dance around again.

_(Santana)_

**Seeking, seeking, one of these one of these seeking, seeking one of these one of these paths (suffocate, emancipate, turn their backs walk away eventually)**

**You're wasting time, I call it living**

**To the world what are you giving**

**You're wasting time, I call it living**

**To the world what are you giving**

**You're wasting time, I call it living**

**To the world what are you giving**

**You're wasting time...**

Again she stops dancing and just stares sadly above everyone's heads.

**You can call it anything you want the fact remains the same**

**I never got to be your Fred Astaire**

**You can lie to yourself and all your friends and pretend that you don't care**

**But circumstance gets in the way**

**'Cause I never got to be your Fred Astaire no I never got to be your Fred Astaire**

**You can call it anything you want the fact remains the same**

**I never got to be your Fred Astaire**

**You can lie to yourself and all your friends and pretend that you don't care**

**But circumstance gets in the way**

When she finishes singing everyone, Cheerios included, run up on stage and bring Rachel into a humungous group hug. She lets out a little giggle at the tackle but soon I feel her to start crying against my chest again.

When everyone pulls back I look over to where Shelby is standing off stage behind the left side curtain. The poor woman has no idea where she stands and it is written all over her face.

Rachel pulls away from my chest a little, still crying, to look where I am looking. She must see exactly what I am seeing because after a nanosecond she pulls away from me and runs over to where her mother is standing.

Without hesitation she launches herself into her mom's arms and continues to cry there. I give a small, sad smile at Shelby's shocked look before her maternal instincts kick in and she firmly wraps her arms around her sobbing daughter. I watch as she whispers into Rachel's ears and decide that it would probably be best if I let them have their moment while going over to the rest of the group and try to get their minds off of their upset captain.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok guys I hope that you liked it! So the first song was 'Shake it out' by Florence and the Machines and the second song was 'Fred Astaire' by Lucky Boys Confusion (if you have never heard of them you should look them up because they are totally my favorite band lol)<strong>

**Heads up I may be making the next chapter a clean up chapter and a last chapter unless I get an idea from you guys that gives me some kind of an idea to write more :/ I hate to see it go because this story means a lot to me but I hate what I keep doing to you guys with it :( **

**Please Please Please review and let me know what you think **


	40. Epilogue

**AN Soooooooo... yea... I can not even explain how sorry I am. There are no words for how bad I feel. I hit a wall and it turned out to be the great wall of China. I am still not really happy with this but I wanted to at least give whoever is still reading some kind of end. Its not proofread at all, I barely had enough time to write this honestly but I got started and I had to finish. It is probably riddled with mistakes.. though after rereading this story a few times to try and get my muse back to keep writing I am realizing just how badly written this thing is and I am sorry for that.. but this is probably going to be worse then in the past lol sorry **

**Thank you all for continuing to read and those of you who just started.. This ride was insane and I can not believe how much this story changed my life. I am disappointed that I messed up so badly with it with the extended hold it was on but it was so hard to give an end to something so important to me. I hope you all are not disappointed with it :/**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing...**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Epilogue<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Santana's POV<strong>

I wake up with a loud grunt as a heavy weight lands not so gently onto my stomach. I don't even need to open my eyes to know what, or rather who, it is since the wakeup call is immediately followed by a giggle that can only be from Skylar.

"MOMMA!" She yells in my face when I do not immediately open my eyes, "Wake up! It's time for breakfast! Mommy told me to come get you." She says in a quieter voice while also squashing my face between her two little hands.

I open my eyes and see her little face only a few inches above mine. "But I want to sleep more" I pout. "We don't have any plans today so just tell Mommy that I am just going to stay in bed ALLLLLLL day long."

I try my hardest to keep the smile off my face and I close my eyes age and pretend to go back to sleep.

"But…" Sky starts as Rae walks into the room.

"Sky, if she doesn't want to wake up then let her sleep. She will just miss all the yummy pancakes I made for us." She explains to the girl as she lifts her off my abdomen.

"But..." I hear the little girl say a bit further away and I open one eye to see Rachel is very slowly walking towards the door with Sky on her hip.

"What do you want to drink?" Rachel's voice gives away her smile.

"But it's my birthday! I want Momma at breakfast." I can hear the pout and I know for a fact that this has been taken to far now and Skylar is very close to tears.

I quickly jump out of bed and swiftly grab the birthday girl out of her other mother's arms. "It's your birthday? Are you sure? I thought that we just had one of those last year for you!" I joke as I lay kisses all over her face before picking her up and putting the final one on her tummy as always. I move to put her back down on her feet but she's too quick for me and wraps her arms around my neck to tell me that she still wants to be held.

"I get one every year! DUH!" She says exasperated. "Last year was my fifth birthday and this year is my sixth!" she explains. "Next year will be my seventh and the year after that…" I know she will continue until someone cuts her off.

"OHHHH. But how was I supposed to know? No one told me and I didn't get you a present." I continue to joke as I walk down the few stairs that lead to the lower level of the apartment.

"I've been telling you for weeks," she sighs as I place her down in the chair that is decorated with balloons and streamers. "But that's ok I don't need presents," she says even as she slumps her head down on her fists with a sigh.

"Oh so you don't want the presents that _I_ got you?" Rachel asks and then sticks her tongue out at me jokingly. I give her an affronted look before passing by her with a kiss to get to my seat and my pancakes.

The newly turned 6 year old immediately perks up. "Of course I do! But we should wait until after pancakes. We don't want them to get cold." She says seriously as she digs into the precut pancakes Rae must have laid out for her before coming upstairs.

I finally look at the clock and realize that it's nine o'clock in the morning and I actually got more sleep then I thought I would this morning. "Babe, you could have woken me up earlier. I would have helped you get everything started."

She just waves me off as she sticks a forkful of pancakes into her mouth.

We finish up our pancakes and are in the living room in record time. Skylar climbs up onto Rae's lap and giggles as Rachel lovingly tickles the girl in her arms. I use the girls' distraction as a way to grab the present Rachel and I bought the girl from the place we always hide the presents; not wanting her to find out the hiding spot and have her ruin future surprises.

"So Mommy is a big fat fibber because these presents are from both of us." I joke while making a face at my wife.

Yep! That's right! We're married. I would love to tell you that I had the whole engagement thing planned out and asked her in this ridiculously romantic way or something but that would be a lie. Though it was all planned out and ridiculously romantic, Rachel beat me to it. I still don't know how I let her get it over on me, but the day of graduation she asked me if we could go for a walk before going to dinner with our parents because she wanted to have some alone time before everything got crazy. It had been a hard few months leading up to it what with her dads showing up and all and the shit storm they brought with them, but in the end graduation day still saw us all as strong as ever. We walked for half an hour before we landed in my front yard.

"_Santỉ, I Love you so much. More than I could have ever imagined in fact. I do not know how I would have been able to get through this school year without you." Rachel stated as she turned towards Santana. _

"_Oh come on Rae, we are so much better then sentimentally, cheesy, graduation day confessionals." Santana says with a chuckle as she brings her girlfriend in for a kiss."Especially since you are never getting away from me so there's no need for goodbyes." She joked. _

"_I know, and I never want to get away from you." Rachel answered as she grabbed a hold of Santana's hand and started leading her into the backyard. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."_

"_Well that's good because that's the plan. If you wanted something different then we'd be having problems." Santana grabbed a hold of Rachel's hips and backed the girl into her chest to hold her close as they shuffled further into the back yard._

_The minute the Latina took in her backyard however her arms fell from the petite girl's hips and she let out a small gasp. The backyard was set up pretty much the same way as it was for their first date, except where the blanket the girls had laid on originally had been there was a group of their closest friends and family with Skylar in Papi's arms even as the girl tried to wiggle out of his grip to get over to her mothers. She was so thrown off by the scene that she hadn't even realized that Rachel had slipped away from her and was now a few feet away on one knee. When she did notice though her hand flew up to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears._

"_So I know that you totally going to be pissed that I am doing this before you get a chance to but we wouldn't be us if I didn't." Rachel joked even as tears filled her eyes as well, "And I know that it's not really traditional to have everyone here, but it seemed only right. We have all been through so much together and…" _

_Quinn could not help but roll her eyes with a chuckle as she pointedly cleared her throat to stop the upcoming nervous rant from the scarlet. What did she even have to be nervous about? No one here was doubting the answer Rachel was about to receive. _

"_Santana, will you marry me?" Rachel asked as she pulled out a ring box._

_Santana for her part barely let the question fully form before she was nodding her head and falling over herself to get to the other girl. "Yes of course! Do you even have to ask?" She sobs as she pulls Rachel back up onto two feet and kissed the girl soundly. _

_Rachel pulled back from the kiss after a few moments and smiled widely at her new fiancé before slowly slipping the ring that Santana immediately recognized as he mother's onto her finger. "Papi gave it to me when I told him my plan." She said with a wink and a cocky smile. Santana didn't know how she had known that Papi had told her awhile ago that she could have the ring when she planned on asking Rachel to marry her but she was not really complaining right now either. _

We were married a year after that with everyone we love, along with almost all of the cheerios, present. It was seriously the happiest day of my life. I know, I know, Rae turned this bad ass into a cheese factory, but whatever this life is worth it.

As Skylar rips through the paper of the first present she eyes the little envelope excitedly knowing what those envelopes usually held. "BROADWAY TICKETS!?" she squeals. I couldn't help but roll my eyes, like mother like daughter. Funny enough this one was my idea, obviously when I told Rae of my plans she was pretty much as excited as Sky is now.

"Yup! We're going to see Wicked!" Rachel tells her excitedly earning another squeal from the birthday girl.

I roll my eyes with a fond smile. We've seen Wicked four times already. The first few times were because Shelby was playing Elphaba and we were supporting her, after that however both my girls fell in love with the show and so we continued to go see it even after Shelby had moved onto new shows.

I lay the other gift onto the girls lap and she brightens up further if that's even possible. She starts ripping into it and yet again squeals as she sees the American Girl Doll that the wrapping was hiding. She looks so happy and excited that I cannot help but smile widely at her. I seriously cannot believe that years later we are still as happy and close as ever. Sure there were stressful times between then and now, the complications from high school never truly going away really. Both Rachel's fathers and Jesse tried to make reappearances but neither had really changed so both ended the pretty much the same as they did the first time around.

"Ok sweets go get ready for our day. You can wear whatever you want but remember that you are choosing what we do today so choose your outfit accordingly." I tell her and she quickly jumps up and wraps her arms around my neck and gives me a kiss before repeating the gesture with Rachel.

"I have the best mommy's ever!" She says before running off to her room as quickly as her little legs can take her.

"Today is going to be tiring" I laugh as I grab Rachel's hand and bring her into me for a quick kiss.

"Yeah, but her birthdays are still one of my favorite days of the year." Rae smiles at me. We have been letting Sky choose her birthday plans since she was old enough to tell us what she wants to do. I agree with her before we drag ourselves upstairs to get ready also.

"So where's our first stop Princess?" Rachel asks as we walk out of the apartment and I lock the door.

"Let me guess… the park?" I ask with a smirk pretty much already knowing the answer. One of Mi Princesa's favorite places is the park.

"Yeah!" She says excitedly. "Breakfast in the park with Aunt Britt-Britt and Auntie Quinn!" She explains jumping up and down.

I laugh because of course with Britt and Quinn, the couple was some of her favorite people. Although it's hard to not be one of Skylar's favorite people. Her list includes everyone of the Trouble Tones and her grandparents obviously, along with her teacher and our mail carrier among others. But the two blondes are at the top of the list right under her grandparents.

"Ok well I can call Quinn and see if she is free, but they may have plans Princess," the scarlet tells her.

It is actually kind of funny how close Quinn and Rachel became over the years. If I wasn't so secure in our relationship and if Quinn wasn't so whipped by Britt I would be afraid of the two running off together.

"Talking about us?" Quinn asks with a coy smile as she and the blonde dancer walk up the stoop.

"How?" I ask with a chuckle as I hug both of them. The birthday girl was immediately in Brittany's arms giggling wildly.

"She told us yesterday when we were at dinner." The shorter blonde answers as if it was obvious.

"To the duck pond," Brittany yells with her hand out before starting to run down the block with Skylar now on her back. The rest of us start laughing before following after them.

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><p><strong>Rachel's POV<strong>

Santana runs after the two goofballs leaving me and Quinn behind alone.

"So…." Quinn starts and I look over at her only to see a shit eating grin. I raise my eyebrow at her and she laughs and shows me her left hand. I immediately stop walking and squeal.

"OH MY GOD, how are you just showing me this!?" I ask as I grab her hand and look at the huge rock on her finger.

"Today is about Sky not me and Britt. We will announce it tomorrow; I just couldn't not tell you today," she explains with a huge smile.

"Everything ok?" Santỉ asks as she jogs back to us and immediately sees what I am looking at. "About freaking time she asked your mom's permission like 2 months ago, she's been calling me constantly as if you would tell me before her."

"Why wouldn't she call me? Why didn't you tell me?" I ask pouting.

"Please, you can keep a secret from Quinn almost as well as Brittany can say no to Sky. So can we hurry up and get to the park before Skylar and Brittany end up in the Central Park Zoo without us again and we have to spend hours on end trying to find them." She says with a roll of the eyes. Sky loved the park because of the zoo and last time she and the dancer got to the zoo before us they went to the zoo before we caught up. Brittany wouldn't answer her phone and we ended up having to call the over the speakers five times before they heard it and found us.

We hurry up to get there before it happens again and find the two in question running around after ducks. Me and Quinn lay down the blanket that she and Britt bought while our significant others ran around with Sky.

I look around the city I have always dreamt about and for the millionth time today smiled. We moved to the city the year we graduated. No matter what Santỉ said there was no way that I was going to let her duck out on her scholarship. She started at Columbia that year and with a bit of help from Shelby and her contacts I was enrolled at NYU by the spring semester. I am now in my fourth year and am planning on graduating next year if everything works out. I could have actually graduated on time if I wanted to but it would have taken a lot of work and I wasn't willing to take that time away from Sky.

I already have connections in the theatre thanks to Shelby and have actually been offered a few ensemble roles but have opted to finish school before taking any on. It may seem weird but I want to get my degree and I really don't have the time right now to take on a show on top of everything else. San managed to graduate on time and is now working towards her law degree.

The hardest part of moving to the city was definitely leaving people behind. Tony was by far the hardest. Our separation did not last very long though because within the first year of us moving here he got a job at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital and moved down with us. He lives about 30 blocks away and we have dinner with him, Shelby, Beth, and Ben, Shelby's boyfriend of three years, every Sunday. Brittany had secretly applied to Julliard our senior year without telling anyone until she got in because she was afraid of getting rejected and Quinn got into Yale and then moved her once she graduated. The rest of the TroubleTones were scattered after graduation, the nationals win helped almost everyone get great opportunities after graduation, but we all try are damndest to get together at least once a year. Honestly though with all the marriages though we manage to get together more than once a year; in fact Brittany and Quinn had been the hold out, even Puck had settled down with a great girl he had met in LA.

We spent a few more hours in the park before we taking Skylar to her second stop across the street where the girl was absolutely spoiled by all four of us. At around five we grabbed the birthday girl and made our way towards Skylar's party at Ellen's Stardust. I personally hate the place but Sky loved it so it was a no brainer for the party, especially since Shelby and Papi offered to buy out the entire restraint for us.

As soon as we walked in everyone started yelled happy birthday and Sky excitedly went around and said hi to everyone. After greeting the birthday girl all of the TroubleTones, who manage to come down every birthday, came over and we spent the night taking leaving Sky to hang out with all her friends and her aunt (still weird to call her that). By the time the party started dwindling down Skylar was exhausted. She was having a hard time keeping her six year old eyes open as she snuggled into my mom.

I look over to Santana who seemed to be having as hard a time staying awake as Skylar was and send her a loving smile. I don't know what my life would have been like if she hadn't brought my cell phone to me that day years ago; if she hadn't found out about Sky. I don't know where I'd be today if she hadn't given me her heart and put up with all my issues. I know without a doubt that none of this would have been happening and Sky's and my life would not be as good as they are.

_**The End**_

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><p><strong>So there it is... after a ridiculous period of time..*deep breath* .. an end to Secret Sky... Again thank you all for reading and I seriously am so thankful for every review, favorite, and follow. <strong>


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